A Change Worth Loving
by midnight-angel19
Summary: Hermione has been wiith Ron for two years but everything changes when he tells her that there is anther girl in his life and he wants to be with her instead.
1. Chapter 1

AN- This is my first ever fan fiction. I'm not really sure of how the seasons work in other countries because I'm from Australia but I think it's Summer in England in August?

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Hermione gripped the handle of the broom tightly. She never imagined she would ever feel this way. Her heart was breaking, there were tears streaming down her face but yet the soft summer breeze seemed to calm her down.

She kept going over what had just happened in her head. She couldn't understand why it had happened, everything had been so perfect.

**Flashback**

Hermione had never seen him this serious before. His flaming red hair looked scary against the paleness of his pure white skin.

"Hermione, we need to talk." His upper lip seemed to tremble, as if he was trying not to cry. Hermione sat on the end of his bed and waited for him to speak. She was so in love. These holidays had been perfect and they were about to start their final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she would be Head Girl. She didn't want anything to change, she loved things how they were.

"Hermione, you know I love you. But I can't go on doing this! I love you, but not that way. You're like a sister to me. I'm so sorry I didn't want to have to do this to you. I love someone else and I know that she feels the same way. I'm really sorry, I never meant to hurt you."

At that moment, Hermione's perfect world had come crashing down. He had broken her heart. The one man that she thought she would be with forever had just broken up with her. Ronald Weasley, had just broken her heart.

Before she knew what she was doing, Hermione had jumped off the bed, grabbed her bag and broom and had left. She wanted to go somewhere where she knew she could be alone. She couldn't go home, not now anyway. Her parents would be too suspicious and she didn't exactly want to face reality now so she flew to the park that was near her house.

She sat there for about two hours, only a few streetlights allowing her to watch the beauty of the summer sky. When she finally decided she should head home, she heard a familiar voice. She wiped her tears and stood up, wanting to make a quick exit before she came face-to-face with her worst enemy. She started walking at a fast pace towards her street but someone grabbed her arm. 'Oh, here we go,' she thought to herself.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Little Miss Perfect Granger. What are you doing out this late? Surely it's past your bedtime."

"Grow up Malfoy. Not all of us do exactly what our parents say." Hermione really wasn't in the mood for this sort of childish behaviour so she started walking again.

"Granger, wait up! Why were you crying back there?" Hermione thought she could've been mistaken, but she thought she heard a tiny bit of sympathy in his voice. She dismissed that thought, 'Hey come on, this is Malfoy we're talking about!'

She stopped walking and turned around, maybe the newspapers were right. Maybe Malfoy had really changed since his father left. (AN: I'll explain his change later.) She walked closer towards him, stopping barely 6 inches from his face.

He was a lot taller than her. She would've guessed he was about 6'3" maybe. His usually slicked back, white-blonde hair was loose. She liked it like that; it made him look sexier. He had a toned body. This was the first time she had seen his arms but she could tell he worked out by just looking at them. His skin, usually pale, had a golden glow. She wasn't sure if it was just the street light but it looked like he had gotten a fair bit of sun these holidays. His eyes were always piercing, but something had changed. They didn't look empty anymore, they had a certain warmth to them. Ron had had a good body but physically, Malfoy was perfection. When Hermione finally realised who she was thinking about, she mentally slapped herself.

"Hello... Earth to Granger?" She opened her eyes to see that trademark smirk she knew all too well, and for the first time in hours, she smiled. "So, Granger, why were you crying back there?" that was the second time he had asked that, maybe he genuinely cared. Hermione couldn't bring herself to answer.

'Just because he hasn't insulted you yet, it doesn't mean he won't.'

"Okay if you're not going to answer, we'll change the subject... Umm, lets see. What made you change the way you look?" Hermione had expected that. She had seen his eyes zoom up and down her body just after he first spoke to her.

"Well, sometimes people change. I mean, you didn't really think I'd be the same bushy-haired bookworm forever, did you?" Hermione knew he did when the only response she got was a raised eyebrow. "Oh, you did. Well, I guess I proved you wrong, Malfoy," and with a satisfied smirk, Hermione turned on her heel and started walking back home – barely remembering to pick up her broomstick which was a present from Ron.

As Hermione walked back home, it felt like reality had started to sink in. She cared about Ron, he was the first guy she had ever really loved. But now that they were over, she could finally see what it was like to be single and have guys actually pay attention to you. She had been single for years before Ron had finally worked up the courage to ask her out but no one had ever noticed her before then. She was just plain old 'Bookworm Granger' but recently she had noticed that wherever she went she got looks from guys. They weren't just any looks either. They were the kind of looks that girls like Cho Chang and Fleur Delacor got.

Hermione was glad that she had finally changed. Instead of her bushy, brown hair she now had soft curls that came mid-way down her back. Her hair was still brown, but a lighter tone, with golden highlights. She had a fringe that was swept to the left side of her forehead. Her complexion was of a golden-bronze colour and she had a sprinkle of freckles over her nose that made her look so sweet and kind. Her make up was light. Her face was perfect of any imperfections or flaws. She used a light pink blush, black mascara and some black eye liner and a tiny bit of bronze eyeshadow to bring out her natural beauty. Her body had also changed significantly as well. No longer was she the plain-shaped Hermione. She had curves. Long slender legs complimented her well-rounded hips, flat stomach and breasts, which had seemed to have developed overnight. Along with her changed look came a changed wardrobe.

Her cousin had helped her to pick out a whole new wardrobe filled with the latest fashion – including mini skirts, which were something Hermione had never even dreamed of wearing.

Another thing her cousin had helped with was the piercing of her belly button. Hermione was a little unsure at first but when her cousin talked her into it there was really no turning back. Hermione had held her breath waiting for the pain but only felt a slight pinch and then it was all over.

As Hermione neared her house, she couldn't help but wonder what her parents would think about her transformation. She hadn't seen them all summer. They had been in France and only got back yesterday. She was hoping that they would be in bed, but since they had no work for another week she knew that they would most likely be up and making the most of their time off.

Hermione reached the front door of her newly-built 2-storey mansion and rang the doorbell since the door was locked. Her mother came to the door and was shocked to see Hermione; she wasn't sure if it was just the fact that she was there or because of her new look.

Her mother hugged her and welcomed her home and as Hermione stepped into the front entrance, she heard men talking. She walked into the lounge area to see her Professor Albus Dumbledore and surprisingly, Draco Malfoy!

"Ahh, Miss Granger. I wondered when you would be home. You left Mr. Weasley's home quite a while ago. I sent Mr. Malfoy out to look for you," Dumbledore was the first to speak.

"Why are you both here?" was all Hermione could manage.

"Heads business," came Draco's reply.


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you mean 'heads business?' was Hermione's response. The answer was obvious. Draco – I mean Malfoy – was the Head Boy, but Hermione refused to accept that. She battled constantly with her mind over the holidays wondering who would be the Head Boy. She thought that maybe Harry, Ron or Roger Davies would get the position. Malfoy never even for a second crossed her mind.

"I'm head boy so I think Professor Dumbledore wants to talk about what we have to do for the year, you know, being partners and all," Malfoy flashed that trademark smirk that Hermione was all too accustomed to.

"Mr. Malfoy is correct, Ms. Granger. Now if you would please sit, I can talk to you about what you are required to do and achieve throughout the school year."

As Professor Dumbledore went through everything that they were to do; plan balls, patrol the corridors and other boring things along those lines, Hermione couldn't help but think that if the head boy was someone other than Malfoy, she would be so excited at being head girl.

'Come on, Hermione. It's Malfoy! Every girl in the school would kill to be in your shoes for the year!'

Hermione thought she was daydreaming when she heard something like 'sharing living quarters' but apparently she wasn't. The sarcastic grin that was plastered on Malfoy's face was enough to tell her she had heard correctly.

Hermione sat there in silence until Professor Dumbledore finished talking. She still couldn't believe that she had to share a dormitory – and bathroom – with her enemy of nearly 7 years.

"Oh, and one more thing Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy will be spending the night here and leaving with you in the morning when you leave for Platform 9 ¾. As you are our school leaders, Hogwarts has purchased your books and uniform for you. You will find them in your new rooms back at Hogwarts. I will see you both tomorrow!" and with that, Dumbledore rose from the couch on which he had been seated on and disappeared with a 'crack.'

Hermione rose from her seat in attempt to make an appeal to Dumbledore about Malfoy staying the night but she was too late. He had already gone.

"Well Hermione, I guess you're stuck with me for the rest of the year!" he once again smirked.

"Don't call me that. You're not my friend so don't call me that. And if you smirk one more time, I'm gonna slap the smirk off of your face!"

"Ooh touchy touchy, _Hermione_."

"Ok Draco," she exaggerated his name just like Pansy Pug-face Parkinson did back at school, he grimaced as she said it. "follow me and I'll show you to the spare room."

"Don't you mean 'guest room?'" Malfoy asked sarcastically, "or maybe people with your blood don't have enough class to say 'guest room.'"

"No, Draco. That's where you're wrong. Guests are welcome in this house, you aren't. So therefore, you are not a guest." Hermione was satisfied with her comeback and picked up the pace as she walked along the long corridor.

She knew her house probably wasn't as large as Malfoy's but hey, it was competition. Her house was quite large. In fact, it was a mansion. Her parents business had been doing well so they decided to build their dream home. It was beautiful. They had only moved in a few months ago and Hermione had only spent 3 weeks there before going off to Ron's house.

'Ron!' Hermione had completely forgotten about the nights earlier events. She wasn't sad anymore, her mind was occupied with thoughts of Malfoy and living with him for the rest of the year. She then put Ron to the back of her mind and opened the door to the 'spare' room.

It had a large queen sized bed in there, a desk with a laptop, a dresser drawer, a wide-screened television and a DVD player. There was also a small CD player in there but Hermione wasn't even going to begin to explain what they were to Malfoy, she knew he wouldn't know. But she was surprised when he said "Nice! Cool T.V, Granger. Got any new DVD's I could check out?"

"What? You know what these things are?" Hermione's jaw had dropped and she knew Malfoy knew that he had caught her by surprise when he started genuinely laughing and replied,

"Of course! Just cause my dad hates muggles and muggleborns, it doesn't mean he doesn't like their inventions. He'd be stupid to dislike them. They provide him with a lot of entertainment."

She didn't like the boy but she had to admit he was quite well-spoken for a teenager. She also had to do a double take when he said 'muggles' and 'muggleborns.'

"What happened to 'mudbloods?' Hermione asked, her tone dripped with sarcasm.

"Excuse me?" Malfoy asked, unsure of why Hermione was asking this question.

"You said 'muggleborn,' not 'mudblood,' why?"

"Well I'm in your house, I may as well treat you with a bit of respect. Afterall, I do want to be considered a guest in this house." He grinned at her and it was only then that she realised what perfect, straight, pearly white teeth he had. No wonder her mum liked him so much.

"Well I'll let you get to bed. The DVD's are in the drawer under the t.v. Don't stay up too late, we have to get up early. It's already 2am."

"Yes, mum" Draco replied sarcastically. "Night, Hermione,"

Hermione ignored his last comment, closed his door and walked to her bedroom just down the hall. Hermione's bedroom was beautiful. The colours of lilac, baby-blue and silver gave her room the 'princess' effect. Hermione had always been treated as a princess so she wanted her bedroom to feel like that. Her delicate four-poster bed had gorgous lilac flowers on it and Hermione couldn't wait to snuggle up into the sheets. She hadn't slept there in what seemed like forever.

She changed into her pajamas – some shorties and a tank top – and crawled into her large bed. She could hear the television in Malfoy's room and she knew he was watching 'Pirates of the Carribean; Curse of the Black Pearl.' She knew every word, she loved that movie. She fell asleep listening to the fast-wit comments of Johnny Depp – who she was in love with.

Hermione could swear she'd only been sleeping for a couple of minutes, but at 9am, Draco came bustling into her room with a hot chocolate for her to wake her up.

"Hey Granger. You're mum said I had to come and wake you up. I made you a hot chocolate because I remembered that that's what you have of a morning at Hogwarts."

"Malfoy! Oh my god! You're in my room! Get out of my room! Get out! Muuuuum! Malfoy's in my room! Get out!"

"Jeez, Granger. Don't be so uptight. I've been in a girls bedroom before. They're all the same, although yours is exquisitely decorated."

Hermione sat up and relaxed into the pillows that were against her back. She saw Malfoy look at her and blush.

"Draco, you're blushing," Hermione said with a smile, she quite enjoyed the fact that she had made blush.

"Hermione, you're flashing!" Malfoy gave a slight nod down towards her chest and to her horror, Hermione looked down to see that she had exposed her left breast to Malfoy. She was extremely embarrassed. No one had ever seen her boobs, bum or front bum – and that's the way she liked it. But now her worst enemy had seen one of her boobs.

"Oh my god! Get out!" Hermione screamed this at Malfoy.

"Okay, okay. I can take a hint. Nice boob, by the way!" Malfoy closed the door and left Hermione red-faced and angry sitting upright in her bed.

As he closed the door he couldn't help but think how attractive Hermione had gotten over the summer.

'And that body!' he thought. 'Damn! She should show it off more, it's something to be proud of!'

He thought it was best to leave her alone so he walked back downstairs to her mother, who was sitting quietly in the kitchen. He knew Hermione's mother adored him, all the girls' mothers loved him. He was Prince Charming to them; he did no wrong.

A few hours later it was time to leave. Hermione came downstairs at 10.30am ready to leave for Kings Cross Station. She had hipster jeans on, a white belt and a black halterneck top on which flattered her flawless body immaculately.

Draco's jaw dropped and Hermione noticed. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

Hermione's mother caught this little show between the two and knew that it could be a possibility that Prince Charming would become her daughters own Prince, but only if they could learn to embrace one-another's differences. But it didn't look like that was going to happen soon.

"Malfoy get your fat arse into the car!"

"No, Granger. Not if you're driving! Get me the chauffeur!"

"What? Chauffeur? You self-conceited prat we don't have a chauffeur! We're not completely useless! Why pay someone to drive when you can do it yourself?"

"Well, why not?"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I know Dumbledore died in the Half-Blood Prince but I don't wanna believe it! Face it, he only died so Harry and Voldemort could fight in the last book without Dumbledore coming to Harry's rescue. 'One has to die for the other to survive!' But anyway, play along and pretend that he didn't die! And I keep forgetting to put in the disclaimer but you guys all know that J.K Rowling was the amazing woman that created all of this! Basically most of the things that you haven't read in the books, I just made up! Okay guys! Now lets get into it! Thank-you to the people that reviewed! I really liked hearing your opinions!

---

The car ride to Kings Cross Station was a rough ride with Draco refusing to get in the car if Hermione was going to be driving and Hermione refusing to get into the car if she couldn't drive.

In the end, they flipped a coin. One side meant that Hermione's mum got to drive, which was in Draco's favour and the other meant that Hermione got to drive. Both agreed that this was the only way in which the outcome would be fair, after Hermione got past the whole 'this is what 10-year-olds do' phase.

Draco won, which meant Hermione's mother got to drive. Hermione seated herself in the front passenger seat ready to control the cars' CD Player. She chose the first CD which was a mixed CD of her favourite artists.

It was quite obvious that Malfoy did not like the music that was playing by the look on his face. His expression didn't change much from the time they left Hermione's house and started listening to the compilation CD until they arrived at Kings Cross Station with the CD playing the second last song, 'Toxic' by Britney Spears. The only song he had seemed to like was 3 Doors Down, 'Here Without You,' which he softly sung the lyrics to. This was strange to Hermione; he didn't seem like the type of guy to know a song like that.

As Hermione said goodbye to her mother, she noticed that Draco wasn't flanked by his two "bodyguards" as he normally was. They were usually at the station before him, waiting to greet him and bully other students. Hermione knew that Crabbe and Goyle wouldn't have the courage to insult everyone if they didn't have Malfoy by their side. And there was no sign of the pug-faced Parkinson either.

--

Draco stood in front of the platform 9 ¾ waiting for Hermione to come and join him to enter the barrier. He had piled her luggage onto a trolley and pushed it to the gate for her.

Her mother had been nice to him so he wanted to show Mrs. Granger that he was a nice boy, even if he didn't like Hermione. He didn't know why he wanted to impress Mrs. Granger. She was a muggle. She was nice, but still a muggle.

He had seen Hermione glance at him a few times as she was saying goodbye to her mother but he was incapable of looking away from her. She looked gorgeous today, there was no doubt about that and by the looks on the faces of the other male students and males walking by, he wasn't the only one that thought that.

But that wasn't the only reason he was waiting for her. He would never admit it to her, but she was the only one he had now, apart from Blaise and his mother. But what good were they? Both were usually drunk. But before he could go on thinking any further, he had seen Hermione start to walk toward him.

"Ya ready?" she asked him, unable to contain the excitement of being Head Girl. 'She's obviously excited,' he thought. 'It's a shame I'm not.'

"Yeah, lets get it over with." They both ran through the barrier, one after another.

As Draco emerged from the barrier, he noted that the bright smile that had been on Hermione's face just moments before had disappeared and that there were now tears welling up in her eyes. She was just staring at something and it was clear to Draco that whatever she was staring at was upsetting her. He turned his head just slightly to the right and his gaze instantly fell upon his red-headed enemy with his lips-locked onto yet another red-head.

"Hermione," Draco said softly, not wanting to upset her.

"What? You're going to taunt me now? Tease me about being dumped for Hannah Abbott? The Hufflepuff slut?" Hermione then regained her composure, with only a few tears sliding down her cheeks and steered her trolley into the crowds.

She wanted to be as far away from Malfoy and his upcoming teasing as fast as she could. She thought she heard him yell out after her but she dismissed the thought. After all, he was still a Malfoy.

--

Hermione found herself an empty carriage. She didn't really feel like talking to anyone right now. She knew that she was expected to be in the Heads Carriage right now but Malfoy, aside from Ron, was the person she would try to avoid speaking to for as long as she could.

'Damnit! I didn't even have to tell him what happened. Now everyone's going to know! On the last day of school last year it was him kissing me and now on the first day back his kissing Hannah Abbott,' even Hermione, who is a very strong person, couldn't contain the tears escaping from her eyes twice today.

Flashback

--

"Um, Hermione, can I please talk to you?" Hermione couldn't tell whether Ron was nervous or excited. She guessed he was a bit of both. If Hermione was right, she knew what was about to happen and she knew that it would make her so happy.

"Sure Ron," Hermione got up and followed him into a quieter corner of the Gryffindor common room, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Um, well I just wanted to know... I was wondering... umm, do you want to go out with me?"

Hermione wanted to scream out yes! But before she could do this she had to figure out one thing.

"Like boyfriend/girlfriend or just a first date type of thing?"

"Boyfriend/girlfriend, I guess. Look, 'Mione, it's okay if you say no. I know that the break up from Viktor was hard and if you need some time, you can have as much -"

Hermione had cut him off but not with words but with a kiss. It was soft, yet passionate. It was something Hermione had been waiting to do for months, but she couldn't because she was still with Krum. She had expected Ron to ask her out sooner, but he waited 3 months after the break-up to ask her out. Hermione thought he would never do it!

"Is that a yes?"

"Yep!" Hermione answered with a smile and she and Ron walked downstairs to breakfast, holding hands.

End Flashback

"Yeah I know. I felt like crying to when I first saw him. You guys were the cutest couple but now he's with that slut."

Hermione looked up at the door of the compartment to see the youngest Weasley, Ginny, standing there with puffy red eyes and a fake smile.

"Oh, hey Ginny," Hermione faked a smile in return. Hermione was embarrassed. It was always Ginny who helped her through break-ups. She was there for her when her dates went bad and when it ended with Krum and now it looked as though she was going to help her through this one.

"Hermione I really wanted to talk to you but we can't right now because you have to be in the Heads carriage for a meeting. And I'm just warning you, Ron and Hannah are both prefects this year so they'll be in there. But don't worry, I'm on your side for all of this. I can't stand that bitch."

For the first time since she'd passed through the barrier, Hermione laughed. It was good to know that Ron's own sister felt the same way about his new girlfriend as Hermione did.

"Don't worry, mum and dad don't like her either!" this caused both girls to break out in a fit of giggles.

As Hermione and Ginny walked to the heads carriage together, Ginny told her about her holiday fling with Blaise Zabini from Slytherin.

"You know, he's really nice and all but we're not gonna do anything during school because of all the fighting between the houses; it'd only cause more. I really like him though," While Ginny was speaking, she had opened the door to the heads compartment. Once she finally realised that Hermione wasn't listening anymore, she stopped talking and turned to look at the girl that had become her best friend. Hermione was frozen to the spot. For the first time in days, she had locked eyes with the man that broke her heart – Ronald Weasley.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hermione's just locked eyes with Ron in the Head's compartment.

--

Draco couldn't believe his eyes. He always thought that Ron would have more respect for Hermione, or any other girl, than this. He knew that Ron knew Hermione was head girl and that she was bound to be in this compartment any minute, yet he sat there with the red-head Hufflepuff and they were all over each other.

Draco had heard about this girl. She was known as the 'Hufflepuff slut' in his common room. Draco never found her attractive and he would never go near her but even though she wasn't much of a looker she always had a guy because she put out easily. As for her personality, some of the Slytherins that had slept with her had said that she was as dull as a blackboard. Hermione wasn't any of these things.

'Jeez, what was he thinking when he dumped Hermione for that? Even though she isn't a pureblood, I'd still take Hermione over that whore any day.'

And at the moment, he heard the compartment door open and he looked up to see the youngest Weasley talking to a distracted Hermione. Hermione had obviously caught Ron's eye because he'd stopped kissing Hannah and actually sat up straight for once. The two engaged in a staring competition before Ron gave up and looked out the window.

"Weak bastard," Draco wasn't sure if he heard right but it sounded like it came from Weaslette's mouth!

There were only 2 seats in the compartment left. One seat was left next to Ron, which Hermione certainly wasn't taking and the other was next to Malfoy.

'I'll talk to you later,' Hermione said to Ginny before she went and sat next to Malfoy. She saw Ginny move to the seat next to Ron, with whom she had obviously started a heated conversation.

"Look, Hermione, about before, I wasn't going to tease you about your break up before," Hermione grunted, "I'm serious. You're too good for Weasley, I mean look what he's latched onto now. He honestly can't think she's better than you. You're everything she's not. She's ugly, boring, dumb and a Hufflepuff! That says a lot!"

"So in other words, Malfoy, you're saying I'm attractive, fun, smart and so not a Hufflepuff? Besides, what do you know about Hannah anyway?"

"You heard what I said and you know what I meant. I'm not saying it again. And about Hannah, well lets just say I've heard things."

Hermione smiled to herself, satisfied that she, in a way, had gotten Malfoy to compliment her. She looked at Ron out of the corner of hey eye, who was back to kissing Hannah and then a little plan came into her mind. She could play a game; a joke on Ron to get him back for what he's done. 'Revenge is a bitch, Ronniekins.' She thought to herself.

"Okay, Draco, what next? You planning on asking me out after that little speech?" Hermione raised her voice only slightly and managed to capture the attention of the rest of the carriage – especially Rons. She winked at Draco to tell him to play along. If Ron and Hannah can sit there and play 'perfect couple,' so can she. They say revenge is sweet, but she's sure as hell going to have fun with this.

"What if I am?" Draco played along, also raising his voice slightly.

"Then I suggest you do right now before the moment passes." Hermione smiled, the look on Ron's face told her that she was hitting a few nerves deep inside. The only revenge sweeter would be if she went for Harry, but she knows he loves Ginny. He'd never do it. But then again, going for the enemy ain't so bad either.

"Okay. So, Hermione, do you wanna go out sometime?" even though they were only acting, Hermione could tell he did that often. He didn't sound nervous at all. In fact he sounded quite relaxed, confident even.

"Yeah, sure." Hermione tried to sound as casual as she could but she felt almost as excited right now as she did when Viktor and Ron had asked her out. She knew that this was pretend but she couldn't help but think that maybe if it was real, then the revenge would be a lot sweeter. Afterall, she was the single one, not Ron.

--

The rest of the train ride was fairly quiet for Hermione. She, Draco and the sixth and seventh year prefects were briefed about the upcoming school year which didn't take long and afterwards, her and Ginny wandered out to find a compartment of their own so they could talk without being overheard. Ginny obviously was still upset about the whole Blaise-thing, which happened over summer, she, like Hermione, needed someone to talk to.

--

For the rest of the train ride, Draco only had one thing on his mind; the game with Hermione. He wasn't sure what she was getting at. Was this her way at getting back at Ron? Or was this her way of showing him that she trusted him enough now to help her move on?

He was so confused. No girl had ever made him this confused

--

Once Hermione and Ginny had found a compartment, they went in and sat down.

They began to talk about Hermione and Ron's break-up and how no one in their family liked Hannah.

"I don't think he really took it that hard. I know you did. He told me that you just walked out. He had Hannah over the next day. I know it's probably hard for you to hear. I don't even think they've waited to sleep together. They did it when she stayed the first time,

they were up all night and so were we. None of us can sleep, that girl can make some serious noise." Hermione's eyes cast downwards, she knew she was going to cry. Ginny saw her reaction and instantly changed what she was saying. "You know, Hermione, they compare her to you a lot, but she never wins. She never will. Ron's the only one who can't see how perfect you were for each other."

"I wish he would. Actually, come to think of it, he cheated on me with that bitch. I wouldn't have him back anyway. He can have her for all I care. Love sucks right now."

At that moment, Ginny burst into tears and Hermione knew straight away that she had been holding them back since they first saw each other on the train.

"I really loved him, 'Mione," Hermione was caught off-guard by the redheads outpour of emotion. "He meant so much to me and I know I meant heaps to him too! It's stupid that a Gryffindor and Slytherin can't be together. Every other house pairing is excepted except that! It's so unfair. I just feel as though I'm never going to meet that one person that everyone talks about. You know the one you just can't live without?"

Hermione just nodded her head in agreement. She didn't really know how Ginny felt. All of her relationships had been accepted with ease. But then she thought 'well if Malfoy and I are going to have a fake-relationship, why can't Ginny and Blaise have a real one. There'd be no difference in the fighting, no one would know that they were real and we aren't.'

"Look, Gin, I know it would be hard but you're a strong girl and if Blaise really has the 'I don't give a shit what anyone thinks' attitude then you guys should give it a go. If I was in your position I probably would've been too scared to even consider a date with someone like him, but not you. You accepted which means you saw something in him that no other Gryffindor has. Give it a try. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, theres other guys out there. I'm not even thinking of finding 'The One' yet. You're only 16, you don't have to meet 'The One' yet."

"I know but I thought that he was 'it.' We just had a connection. I know everyone thinks I'm always between guys and that I supposedly sleep around but this is one guy I'm not going to dump in a week and move on. He's the first guy I ever slept with. I want to be with him. I really do. He means so much to me."

"You know what Gin, do what you think is right. As long as you're happy, do you really give a shit about what anyone else thinks? It's you and Blaise, not you, Blaise and everyone else.

"I guess you're right, 'Mione. As always. So anyway, what's going on with you and Malfoy?"

Hermione then explained her brilliant plan to Ginny. Ginny thought it was a great idea, but then again, she always thought Hermione and Malfoy would look great together.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks to you guys that reviewed! I got 8 over night... I was so excited!

Hermione had to stay behind to help round up all of the first years along with Malfoy and the other prefects. This was a hard task as all of the first years were extremely excited and jumping around.

When she had finally rounded up the last of the first years, she was about to hop onto a waiting carriage when she heard a quiet voice say her name. She instantly recognized the voice as her ex-boyfriends. She didn't really want to talk to him right now so she pretended she didn't hear him and she got into the carriage. This didn't work because he followed her on.

"Hermione just listen to me please!" Hermione could hear the pleading in his voice.

"Why? What can you possibly have to say to me?" Hermione sat there, arms crossed and angry. She couldn't contain her anger right now. It felt as though it was impossible.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for everything that's happened. I love Hannah and I thought that I'd just hurt you more if I kept on lying about my feelings to you. I just hope we can still be friends."

"Get stuffed, Ron. You don't deserve my friendship."

--

Draco stood outside the carriage, just listening to the scene that was being played inside.

"I try to be nice to you and apoligise but it obviously isn't good enough for you. Well guess what Hermione? Fu-" Ron's calmness had disappeared, his temper had begun to rise and Draco found this as the perfect time to step into the carriage. He was the last person left.

"Hey 'Mione. How ya doin? Everything okay in hear?" Draco was pretending that he hadn't heard a thing. Secretly he was proud of Hermione. He would never had guessed that Hermione had enough balls to say something like that to someone who was her best friend.

'I guess 'was' is the right word,' he thought to himself.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Are we waiting for anyone else?" Hermione was surprised at how calm and controlled her voice sounded despite on the inside she was filled with rage.

"No. We're the last ones. I checked and everyone else has gone," Draco said as the carriage started to gain speed and head towards the castle.

--

The carriage ride was quiet. No one spoke a single word. Ron and Draco glared maliciously at each other and every now and again Draco would smirk to agitate Ron even more. Hermione just stared at the window. She was thinking the whole ride, well up until the Hogwarts castle came into sight anyway.

The beauty of the castle always intrigued Hermione. This was her home, regardless of who lived there. She never wanted to leave, this is where she is herself. She always feels the happiest here but for some reason she feels as though this year will be different.

--

A/N: I know it's a short chapter but there's really nothing else left to say for this part. The next chapter will include Hermione and Draco's first night in the Head's Living Quarters and Hermione's first run in with Harry. What will he think about Ron and Hannah?


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks to my reviews. Just to let you guys know, Harry does know that Ron broke up with Hermione for Hannah. Hermione and Harry just haven't seen each other or talked about it yet! Also, this is a longer chapter than all of the others just for you guys that asked for a bigger chapter. It kind of makes up for the last chapter, which was really short!

--

After the sorting ceremony and grand feast, Hermione and Draco were shown to their living quarters – which were hidden behind a portrait of a lioness and a snake who were arguing.

"Well, you two can choose a password if you like otherwise I can think up a delicious sounding lolly for you to use," Professor Dumbledore said.

"How about we have -" Hermione was about to announce the word she had chosen for a password until Draco cut her off.

"Frangipani. The new password is frangipani." And with that, the portrait opened and Draco stepped in.

Dumbledore and Hermione just looked at each other.

'I guess he's thinking what I am," Hermione thought to herself.

She knew the frangipani was a beautiful looking flower, in fact it was her favourite. She just didn't know that if Draco, given the opportunity to select any word in the universe, would choose frangipani.

-

The Heads' Common Room was amazing. She'd heard stories from the heads' of previous years and how it was decorated in their favourite colours and house colours. The only things in this room that were Gryffindor coloured was the gold leather couch (A/N: If you have The Sims: Superstar, think the gold couch in that!) which was decorated with some maroon coloured pillows. Across the floor was a silvery-white rug with a magnificent green-coloured trimming.

Draco and Hermione had their own mini-kitchen, study, library and grand fireplace. Hermione knew that she would curl up in front of the fire in the winter with a warm blanket and read a book – just like they do in movies.

"Your bedrooms are upstairs. Draco, yours is on the right and Hermione, yours is on the left."

Both teens made a run for the stairs but Draco got there first. Always the gentleman in front of others, he let Hermione go first. He also made a point of checking out her butt as she walked up the stairs in front of him.

--

Draco was stunned when he walked into his room. He liked this one better than he did at his house.

'Damnit Draco. Don't think about that shit. It'll only piss you off,' he thought to himself.

The truth was, Draco had been avoiding a problem since before he went to Hermione's. He couldn't bring himself to think about it anymore. He was now an orphan, well his mum was dead but his dad wasn't. But what good is he in Azkaban?

Draco felt his train of thoughts going somewhere he didn't want them to; his parents. He distracted himself by taking in the scenery and beauty of his new room.

He had a silver 4-poster bed that was covered in a black bed-cover and he had two black pillows and one metallic green rainbow-shaped pillow. They were his two favourite colours. Even back at home he wasn't allowed to have those colours in his bedroom. It was always mahogany. His parents had expensive taste, anything but the best was too cheap looking according to them.

His chest of drawers sat opposite his bed but then he saw it. It was a mahogany trunk, obviously for him to put his most-prized possessions in, sitting at the foot of his bed. He couldn't deal with that right now. The mahogany reminded him too much of him and he didn't want to be reminded of that. Every memory of his "home" was painful.

He looked around the room some more and found something he knew he was going to enjoy. He loved these things! In the corner of his new bedroom was a desk with an expensive-looking computer sitting on top of it.

'No way!' he thought, 'A computer in Hogwarts?'

--

'No way!' she thought, 'A computer in Hogwarts?'

Hermione was ecstatic with her bedroom. The walls were lilac and her bed had beautiful white bedspreads across it, with some flower embroidery across the middle of the bedsheet. She had already jumped on it, just to see how comfy it was. It was more comfortable than her bed at home and it was definitely just the way she wanted it.

Her bedroom was decorated beautifully; it was to her exact taste.

'So this is what I've worked for all these years?' Hermione thought, 'Wow! I love it!'

She walked towards the door that was set just a few metres away from her bedhead and turned the handle. She marveled at what she saw inside.

--

'Whoa! This is amazing.' Draco thought.

He looked around and was instantly amazed with what he saw. The bathroom was completely decorated in marble, just like his ensuite at home.

'Don't think about home. Don't think about home, Draco!'

There was a large spa bath directly in the middle of the floor; it was about the size of a small pool. A double vanity was set opposite of it, which was also marble. Draco liked the large mirrors; but then again, he liked anything that showed his own reflection.

He also liked what he saw at the opposite end of the bathroom; Hermione. She was a lovely sight to and like Draco, clearly amazed at the sight before her eyes (the bathroom).

--

"Gorgeous, isn't it?" Hermione was the first to speak.

"Yeah, you are," realizing his mistake, he quickly corrected himself. "I mean, is it." He blushed. He didn't know whether Hermione heard him, if she did, she didn't acknowledge it.

Hermione sighed.

"Well it's getting late and I'm tired. I'll see you in the morning. Luv ya!" she winked at him and blew him a kiss.

"Oh, hey, wait, Hermione!"

"Yeah?"

"About what happened on the train, you know, me asking you out? Is that all just a game to get back at Weasley for what he did to you?"

"Um, yeah, I guess. You want to keep going along with it? I know he'll act like it doesn't bother him but it'll eat him up inside."

Draco thought about it...

"Well anything to get at Weasley or Potter is fine with me! Night, babe!" he winked and blew her a kiss.

Hermione giggled and walked into her room, closing the door behind her. Draco did the same.

--

As Hermione laid in bed thinking about the day's events, she realised that she hadn't even talked to Harry properly yet. She normally chewed his ear off on the train but this year she didn't see him on the train. And at the sorting ceremony, you usually couldn't shut her up, this year they only said 'Hi' to one another and with a quick kiss on the cheek from Harry he whispered, 'We'll catch up tomorrow.' Hermione remembered yelling a 'Yes' back at him before being whisked away by Professor McGonagall so she could be introduced as Head Girl to the students.

She eventually drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, across the hallway in a different bedroom, Draco was falling asleep dreaming of a beautiful girl. He knew that he could never have a chance with her. He didn't seem like her type. He did like her though; well he thought he was beginning to. He had tried to see if she had genuine feelings for him before, but all he found out was that he was a main part of her revenge game.

'They're all the same. It's all a game to girls. I'm over it. I've done my game playing. I want a girlfriend who wants me genuinely. Not the sex or bragging rights. I wish Hermione was like that but all I am to her is revenge.'

--

Hermione slept well. She woke up at 8.00 ready for classes until she remembers that seventh years don't start until tomorrow.

"Oh shit! Only first to sixth years start today! I could've slept in!"

Hermione found it pointless to try and get back to sleep because it never worked for her anyway so she got up to get ready so she could go and get some breakfast.

Hermione showered, said a spell to dry and straighten her hair (which smelt amazing thanks to her frangipani shampoo and conditioner!) before walking to her chest of drawers and selecting her outfit for the day.

She settled on beige coloured cargo pants and a light blue halterneck top. She loved halternecks; they always seemed to flatter her shoulders more other tops made them appear broader.

Hermione went downstairs and into the great hall, where she sat down at the Gryffindor table and started to eat breakfast. She had some eggs, sausages, bacon and a bit of everything else. She was quite hungry; she always was at breakfast.

As Hermione was eating her breakfast, she scanned her eyes over the daily prophet and saw a photo of the Malfoy family. The caption underneath read; Orphaned Draco Malfoy, 17, has inherited his entire family's estate and fortune. More page 11. She went to flick to page 11 but somebody sat down beside her.

"Hey Hermione! It's great to finally have a chance to talk to you," Harry smiled brightly at his best friend.

"Oh, heya Harry! Wow! You look great! What's happening?"

"Well I just asked Ginny out, again. She said no. Then she started rambling on about she can't go out with me because of someone else and it would hurt him too much. I don't think she loves me anymore. Something changed over the holidays..."

"Yeah. A lot's changed since the holidays, Harry." Hermione's disappointment in her former best friend, Ron, showed through in her voice.

"I'm so sorry about that, Mione. I tried to tell him what he was doing wasn't right and that he shouldn't lie to you."

"You knew about this?" Hermione didn't know whether she was more shocked that he never said anything to her before had or more pissed off that they both lied to her about this.

"I'm so sorry Hermione. It's been happening since third term last year and I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone, especially you. His my best friend!"

"Oh! And what am I, Harry? Your pet dog?" Hermione yelled that out and caused most of the great hall to watch, including Draco who had made his way to breakfast at the Slytherin table.

--

Hermione sat outside by herself under her favourite tree by the lake. She always came here to think. She felt like crying back in the great hall, but stopped herself. As far as people knew, she was now Draco Malfoy's girlfriend. And trust me, the whole school is talking about it.

"Feel like some company?" Hermione looked up and saw Draco standing there.

"Yeah, if you want to be that company."

"What happened back there?"

"Harry knew. He knew everything and he never told me. He said he couldn't because Ron is his best friend. I'm just losing everyone that's important. I hardly talk to my parents anymore, Harry betrayed me, and Ron cheated on me."

"You've always got me," Hermione smiled through her tears at this comment. She looked up at Draco only to realise that he was actually serious.

"Really? What happened to me being 'Mudblood Granger?'"

"I'm over that. I've noticed how beautiful that you really are lately. Give me a chance to see the inside now." Draco smirked at Hermione. He had just complimented a muggle-born on her looks, now he was practically asking her out.

"If it's too soon, I understand. I just wanted to reserve you first before all the other guys get in line!"

"Everyone already thinks you're with me anyway. There's no harm in trying, I guess."

Draco smiled. "Is that a yes, Ms. Granger?"

"Yes," Hermione couldn't believe she actually said yes. This was Malfoy. Well Draco now.

'Sure he's attractive, but has he really changed?' she thought.

"Come on, Hermione. Let's go inside. I make a mean hot chocolate, wanna try one?"

Hermione giggled, "Sure, Draco."

Draco stood up first and pulled Hermione up, he must've pulled a little too hard because she fell into him. When she regained her balance, she looked up at him and smiled. He put his hand underneath her chin and bought his lips down to hers. He then planted a passionate kiss on Hermione's mouth. She kissed him back with as much passion, maybe more. It was amazing.

She had never had a kiss like this. The girls were right, he was an amazing kisser.

In the sky above, someone had seen the entire thing. Especially the kiss. He didn't really think it was true that these two were really an item. He didn't think Hermione could move on this fast.

He had always had trouble controlling his temper but this time Ron was really pissed off and had made up his mind to confront Malfoy. But what he didn't know was that he might have met his match in Draco Malfoy.

A/N: Guys stay tuned for the next chapter where Ron & Draco come face-to-face in a heated conversation. What will it lead to? Also, what's happening with Ginny and Blaise?


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks to my reviewers! I've got a couple of regulars who review each of my chapters! I can't remember who you guys are at the moment because I'm not on the internet but I will check who you all are! I still have all of my reviews in my inbox. Okay to answer a few questions:

You will find out in this chapter and the next couple of chapters about Ginny and Blaise.

Yes! Harry has come into play! I think the whole Harry/Ginny coupling is cute –he's a brave boy to go for his best friends little sister! My brother would kill his friend if one of them wanted to go out with me! But anyway, just because Harry loves Ginny, it doesn't mean she's going to want to be with him. (I so wish he didn't break up with her at the end of 'Half-Blood Prince.' She waited years to be with him!)

Ron does still care for Hermione to a certain level. He is frustrated though because even though he made an attempt to apologize, Hermione didn't accept like she always used to.

The reason the kiss between Hermione and Draco wasn't detailed is because all it was for Hermione was a good kiss. It was something more for Draco because he likes her, but in the last chapter when they kissed, it was from Hermione's prospective and she is only just starting to believe that she can trust him and he could be a good friend to her. It's complicated but she doesn't like-like him, if you know what I mean! Draco will describe it when he's alone though.

This chapter is a bit drastic! A bombshell is dropped straight away!

--

Hermione was sitting alone in the common room. Draco had gone off to find Blaise after he and Hermione had spent a little time together, talking over some amazing hot chocolates. She found herself thinking; not about her last year at Hogwarts but about her and Draco.

'I really can't believe I said yes... What was I thinking?'

She started to feel bad about going out with a guy she had no romantic feelings for... Then she thought about the kiss.

'It was good. Good? What am I saying? It was bloody fantastic! A lot softer than Ron's or Viktor's. It could've been better if I had loved him like I loved those two.'

Just as she started to doze off, dreaming about the kiss, she heard a knock at the entrance to her common room. She stood up and went over to the portrait and opened it. There stood Ginny, her eyes puffy and red from crying.

"Oh Hermione! Thank god you're here!" The feisty redhead looked puffed out; like she'd run to Hermione's dorm.

"Hey Gin! The last time I saw you, you looked like you'd been crying. What's been happening? Is it Blaise? What has he done?"

"He hasn't really done anything."

"Then what's wrong, honey?"

"Um, Hermione, I think I might be pregnant. Mum's gonna kill me!" The youngest Weasley let the tears flow freely from her eyes after those words while Hermione sat across from her, stunned at what had just been said.

"Ohh, Gin don't cry! Having a baby is an amazing thing. I'm sure she'll be fine with it once she gets used to it. And Blaise will be there... it is his right?

"Yeah, there's been no one else. I can't believe it. We've only done it twice."

"How long ago?"

"A week before school started and then 6 weeks before that."

"Have you done a test yet?"

"I'm too scared to go to Madam Pomfrey by myself... will you please come with me?"

"Of course! That's what best friends are for." Hermione wrapped her arms around the tiny frame of Ginny. She hoped for the sake of Ginny and her family that she wasn't pregnant.

--

Draco had been walking towards the entrance of Hogwarts when he heard a voice call out from behind him, "Oi, Malfoy. Get your slimy little ass here now."

He turned around to see Weasley. His face was as red as his hair.

"What do you want? I'm going to be late for an appointment." Weasley had always agitated Draco, although Draco wasn't quite sure why. He's not quite sure why he hates a lot of people, he's guessing that it's due to the way his father raised him.

"Nah, man, this won't take long."

"What –"

**Whack**

Ron had punched Draco square on the jaw. It wasn't a bad punch, but Draco was a lot stronger than Ron was and his balance didn't fail. He still stood, only an inch shorter than the lanky Weasel.

"Stay away from Hermione. All you'll do is hurt her," Ron mustn't have thought about his words. He set it up beautifully for Draco, who had already formulated a comeback in his mind.

"Oh yeah, Weasley. That's rich coming from you. The guy that cheated on his first ever girlfriend with the Hufflepuff slut."

"Don't call her that. She gives me things like that because she loves me. Hermione never gave me anything because she never loved me; not like Hannah anyway."

"You call that love, Weasley? If you really loved Hermione in the first place you would've waited. And anyway, I dunno what you mean. She seems pretty willing to oblige now."

Draco knew he hit a nerve within Ron straight after he said this. He also knew that it was pretty low of him to say something like that but he just wanted to let Ron know that Hermione wasn't his anymore.

"So you're trying to tell me that that little bitch let you take her only a day after you started dating?"

'Oh my god. Weasley actually believed that we were going out. That show on the train was so lame and soap opera-ish. But hey, he is a Weasley.'

"Who said our first time was after we started going out?" with that Draco turned on his heel and continued to walk out the front door of Hogwarts and towards the edge of the forest. He saw his best mate since birth standing there - Blaise Zabini.

"Hey Zabini. What's crackin'?"

"Draco... Ginny thinks she's pregnant." Blaise's face was pale and there was no emotion in his eyes. Actually, when Draco thought about it, he thought he could see fear in his eyes.

"Wait – you and Weaselette got it on?" Draco smirked. He was proud of his friend. Even though they were referred to as the 'Sex Gods of Slytherin' only Draco lived up to his reputation, Blaise was a virgin. Up until he met Ginny of course.

"Yeah but you're completely missing the point."

"Oh, right. Sorry. You didn't tell me!"

"Draco!" Blaise now sounded frustrated, so Draco thought he better pay close attention.

"What?"

"Ginny thinks she's pregnant."

"What? Oh, mate, your dads gonna kill you. Your mum will be happy but your dads gonna kill you. I thought she was just a one-off thing."

"Yeah, so did I. So did father. Mum loves her; she thinks she's perfect. And she is. She's everything I want in a girl -"

"You took her home to meet the 'rents?" Draco was surprised. He knew that his father – and Blaise's father – would never approve of their sons dating Weasleys. They were like the lowest kind of witches and wizards around according to those high-society folk.

"Yeah they wanted to meet her. I couldn't say no. Father didn't like that she was a Weasley but he thought she was attractive and he liked the fact she was pureblood. He said I could keep her for a mistress when I married. I want to marry her, not have her as a mistress."

"I can't believe you got her pregnant? Haven't you ever heard of condoms?"

"It was a heat of the moment type thing." Draco thought he could sense embarrassment in the tone of Blaise's voice. The blush on his face only added to Draco thinking that he had embarrassed him. "Anyway she's going to Pomfrey now for a pregnancy test. I better head back to see if I really am going to be a daddy." Blaise beamed. He liked the sound of that.

"How ya going to tell your dad that you got her pregnant?" Trust Draco to wipe the smile off of Blaise's face.

"I dunno. I'll figure out a way."

--

Meanwhile... In the hospital wing.

"I'm scared 'Mione. I really am. Mum and dad are going to be so disappointed. I still have a 2 years of school to do and I'm probably going to be a mum before sixth year is finished."

"Don't be scared, Gin. Everything will be okay."

Ginny was crying when she and Hermione entered the hospital wing so Hermione explained to Madam Pomfrey about the situation. Now they were just waiting for the test results.

The curtain pulled back and Madam Pomfrey walked over to where the two girls were sitting on the bed.

"Congratulations, Ms. Weasley. You're going to be a mother. You're 4 weeks pregnant. The father is Mr. Potter, yes? He has been sweet on you for quite a while, I understand?"

Ginny blushed and started crying. She was unable to speak so Hermione once again spoke for her.

"Actually, no. Harry does like Ginny but the father is Blaise Zabini of Slytherin."

Madam Pomfrey looked shocked.

"Slytherin?"

"Yes, they got to know each other over the summer and one thing lead to another, I guess."

"I understand. These things happen. Now, Ms. Weasley, the Headmaster and your Head of House will be informed of your pregnancy immediately regardless of what you say. Now, who will be telling your families? Would you like the Headmaster to accompany both you and Mr. Zabini, just to make sure things don't get a little crazy?"

"That would be good, thanks." Ginny managed a faint smile and got off the bed. "I guess I should go and let Blaise know now. Thanks, Madam."

--

Outside the Hospital Wing, a nervous Blaise Zabini was waiting with Draco. He jumped up as soon as he saw his possibly pregnant girlfriend enter the room.

"So? Are you or aren't you?" he asked anxiously.

"I am. I'm 4 weeks along. Dumbledore is going to help us tell out families. They have to

know."

"Yeah I know." Blaise embraced his girlfriend. He was so happy that he was going to be a father but he was worried about what his own father would do once he found out.

Hermione watched the couple standing in front of her. They looked so happy together, even though they were about to experience a tough battle. She didn't even want to think about the reaction of the Gryffindor's or Slytherin's and she couldn't bear to think what could happen once their families find out.

She felt a pair or arms snake around her middle and a tender kiss on her neck. She felt herself warm up just from his touch. She knew she didn't love him, but she loved the way he had made her feel today while she was with him. She could see herself with Draco in the future – the way that Ginny and Blaise could see. Both couples had their futures ahead of them but both were going to be in for a bumpy ride and all 4 of them knew it. But blimey! They were willing to give it a good shot.

--

So guys! Ginny's pregnant? Didn't see that one coming did we? Or, you might have!

There wasn't much about Draco and Hermione in this chapter but in the last few paragraphs Hermione sees how happy that Ginny and Blaise are even though they're about to face a huge obstacle in not only their relationship, but their life. Hermione just wants to be happy. Maybe she can find happiness with Draco! But relationships are never that easy are they?


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Please guys remember to review to let me know what ya think! I really do wanna know! Thanks to the advice some of you guys have given me! I'm trying my best to use it!

Please keep in mind that this is only books 1-5 cause even though I liked the 6th, I still hate that Dumbledore died and Narcissa is a deatheater too! I like that she still wanted the best for Draco – but I still believe his meant to be good, not bad. I hope he changes for the 7th book! And I love Tonks and Lupin together. Tonks just comes across to me as a cute and fun person! I think she's awesome!

--

Hermione and Draco were in their common room. Draco was reading a book and Hermione was reading the Daily Prophet that she had started this morning before her fight with Harry. It had been a big day and Hermione was still trying to recover from the shock that her best friend was expecting a baby. Draco seemed pretty calm despite the fact that his 17-year-old mate was about to become a dad.

Hermione came across the page that she had forgotten about until now.

"Hey Draco, have you read the paper today?"

"No, why?"

Hermione passed him the paper. Draco looked at it and frowned. Tears swelled up in his eyes. Hermione could tell that he was trying had to push them back down. She knew from all their years at Hogwarts that Malfoy was someone who would never show any emotion. His eyes were always cold and empty, but lately they had started to show some emotion; happiness? Hermione wasn't sure but all she knew now was that they were empty again but she needed to know what was happening. All she knew now was that he had changed and she wanted to know if this was the reason.

"Is it true?" Hermione asked wearily. She wasn't sure if she should ask. She knew that Draco had a temper and usually didn't like to talk about touchy subjects. And this was definitely a touchy subject. The article read:

HEIR TO MALFOY FORTUNE

Draco Malfoy, 17, has inherited his family's entire estate and fortune. As the Daily Prophet reported yesterday, Lucius Malfoy has received the Dementors Kiss after being found guilty of involvement in deatheater activity and murdering his wife, Narcissa Malfoy.

Malfoy, a student at Hogwarts is believed to have spent the last week of his holidays under the watchful eye of his Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Draco was trying to sound calm and collected but really he wasn't. He knew that it wouldn't be long until the Daily Prophet released an article about his father killing his mother, he just didn't realise it would be this soon. They last article on his family was fine. That one said that there was an investigation into the death of Narcissa Malfoy.

Everyone knew that Lucius was bound to kill her. She always went against what he said; and she was always abused for it. Draco hated his father for what he did. Draco hated everything about him – especially the way he treated Narcissa and the way he worshipped Lord Voldemort like he was some kind of hero.

"Draco, you can trust me."

"I said I don't want to talk about it, okay!" Draco had raised his voice when he said this and he could tell by the look on Hermione's face that he had shocked and frightened her.

"Look, I'm sorry," he knew that if he didn't apologize Hermione would ignore him for a while. He's seen her do it to Harry and Ron a few times.

"Don't worry about it. If you ever want to talk about it, you know where to find me." And with that Hermione stood up and walked up to her room, quietly closing her door just so he knew that she wasn't mad at him.

--

He had expected her to slam the door, but she didn't. At least he knew now that she wasn't mad at him.

Draco had so many things on his mind. The hardest by far would be his mothers funeral that was going to be held on the weekend.

What he couldn't understand is that his father always talked about shame. Draco was always told he bought shame to the Malfoy name. Draco couldn't see what he did wrong. He was a good student, he did his work and got high marks for it. He was well within the top 10 of his year. Now he had earned the position of Head Boy at the best school of Witchcraft and Wizardry around and his father never once congratulated him. Draco even especially went to the Azkaban Prison 1 week ago when he had found out and all his father could say was 'Ok Draco. Anyway, how are you coping with the dreadful death of your mother?'

'Did he really think I was that stupid? Did he really think that I didn't know that it was him who murdered her? I saw, for fucks sake.'

Draco had watched the murder but there was nothing he could do. He tried desperately to unlock the door to his fathers study but no spell had worked. He watched through the keyhole as his father, the man he had once admired, beat on his mother and eventually, finish her off with an 'Avada Kedavra.''

Apparently that curse would only be effective if you truly despised the person you used it against.

'He must've have really hated her then,' Draco thought.

--

Hermione sat on the edge of the bed. She was worried about things.

She knew that Ginny's parents wouldn't be happy that their 16-year-old daughter was pregnant. She also knew that Blaise's parents would probably hit the roof when they found out. At least Dumbledore was going to accompany them. With him there, all hell couldn't break loose. Ginny had promised to tell Hermione everything that had happened the instant she arrived back at Hogwarts. Hermione checked her alarm clock, she still had another 20 minutes before Ginny should be back. She was nervous for Ginny. And Blaise.

But she was most worried about Draco. It's not healthy to keep your emotions bottled up inside. She wanted him to know that he could trust her. She wasn't going to tell anyone what he had said if he chose to confide in her. If there was no trust in their relationship, there was no relationship. But she didn't want to end something that had only just started. She wanted to give it a chance. She wanted to see if things could work.

Hermione heard a knock on her bedroom door, she thought it was Draco coming to confide in her.

"Come in," she called. It wasn't Draco, it was someone else. Someone she had been worried about.

"Hey Gin! How'd it go?"

"Oh, Mione! Mum was so happy. She was only a little bit disappointed but Dumbledore said that if I still wanted to continue learning, I could have my own room for when the baby comes so I could still go to class. And he said that Madam Pomfrey could look after it during classes because she did with another baby a few years before I started but then mum said that that didn't matter because she'd look after it. She loves babies. She said she can't wait to be a grandma!"

"But what about your dad?"

"Um, dad was a little weird. He just sat there and didn't say anything. Mum just told me to give him some time to think about it. Fleur said that the baby would be cute because she thinks Blaise and I are a very attractive couple."

"And Blaise's parents?"

"Well as I found out, his mum is kinda always out of it. She's a bit trippy. She said congratulations and all that but maybe if she was sober she'd be different. His dad started planning a wedding. Apparently he doesn't want a grandchild that was born out of wedlock."

"So now you're getting married?"

"I guess I have to."

"Jeez, Gin. Slow down!"

Draco appeared in the doorway of Hermione's bedroom.

"I just heard you guys are engaged. Congrats."

"Thanks Mal-, Draco."

"Um Hermione, I just wanted to know if you wanted to have dinner with me later so we could talk, you know, about things?" he was hoping that she'd understand that when he said 'things' he meant what they had not discussed earlier.

"Sure, Draco. That'd be great." Hermione thought she knew what he was getting at.

"Well I gotta go find Blaise! See ya soon!" Ginny left the room and exited their domitory.

Draco bent down to kiss his girl. 'I really do hope she likes what I've bought her,' he thought.

--

Tune in to find out what happens over dinner and how Hermione reacts to everything Draco has to say.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Okay thanks for the reviews guys. Well, lets get on with it!

--

Hermione added the finishing touches to her outfit. She had a black racer-back top on, with a dark denim jacket on over the top. On the bottom she had some black dance pants, which were quite tight but had a small flare at the bottom. She added a large white belt over her pants, just for decoration, and she was ready. She wanted to look nice; she guessed that it was kind of like a first date.

She knew that they weren't going anywhere special because she could smell the food that Draco was cooking downstairs in their personal kitchen. It smelled really good; like burgers or something. She was surprised that he could cook. She couldn't, her specialty was 2-minute noodles and she never even got them right anyway.

--

Draco was nervous as he prepared their dinner. He decided on cooking his favourite meal... Hamburgers. It was simple enough and it smelled good. He knew that teenagers when they went on there first date that they usually had burgers and hot chips so that's exactly what he cooked. He also decided on a dessert of chocolate pudding and strawberry ice cream. He loved that stuff and he hoped Hermione did too.

Draco was never usually nervous when it came to girls, but Hermione was different. He had never actually really cared about the girls he dated, he did it just for fun. He never had a connection with any of them; Hermione was the first one that he had something different with. She was honest and pure. She was also intelligent, which was important to Draco. He always got bored when the girl he was with was totally dull.

He was also nervous because tonight, for the first time, he was going to talk about his family. He knew that Hermione meant what she said when she told him that he could talk to her about it. He didn't think that she would judge him based on his family after what she went through with Ron.

Draco had always envied the Weasleys. They were a family that, even though they had very little, they always had enough love and warmth to go around. Even to Potter and Hermione, who weren't in the family. His parents only had 1 child and his father never showed his love for Draco and his mother was always too scared to in fear of what Lucius would do. According to Lucius the more affection one is shown, the weaker they become.

He knew that Ron came from a good family, but after what he did to Hermione, he wasn't a good person, let alone a man.

'Maybe she could think like that about me, just the opposite.' Draco thought, 'he came from a good family but he's a lousy person. I come from a horrible family – mostly just my father – but I could prove to her that I'm not, and I don't want to be, like him.'

Draco soon stopped thinking and started putting the food onto the plates, which were beautifully decorated. They were white, with a shiny gold rim around the edge. When Draco looked closely around the edges, he could swear that engraved in the gold rim was; Gryffindor Hermione Granger Head Girl and on the direct opposite side of the plate Slytherin Draco Malfoy Head Boy

But he didn't have time to marvel at the plates, if he wasn't careful he was going to pour some of the contents of the hamburger down the front of himself and would that just be a lovely fashion statement on a first "date?"

--

"Hermione!" Hermione heard Draco call out to her. 'Dinner must be ready,' she thought.

She made her way down the stairs and was surprised at what she saw. Who would've thought that Draco was a romantic at heart? Rose petals covered the floor and a light frangipani scent filled the room. The room, always magnificent in any light, looked absolutely delightful by the candlelight and the glow from the fire. Hermione loved it. She glanced over the table and saw that her dinner was already there.

'Burger and fries... I didn't think he was that type of guy...'

"Take a seat and enjoy your food." Draco had put on a posh accent to accentuate the romance of the room. He was proud of himself for the decoration, he never knew that he could be like that.

"Well, thank-you Draco," Hermione said as Draco slid the chair out for her to sit down on.

She took her seat, as did Draco. They began eating in silence until Hermione spoke.

"This is really lovely. You cooked the burger good too," Hermione said as she took a large bite out of the burger. Draco couldn't help but notice how cute Hermione look when she was chewing on her food.

'Especially in the light... She's beautiful.' He thought. The candlelight complimented her tanned complexion and flawless skin.

Hermione could not believe that she was being romanced by Draco Malfoy and he could not believe that he was romancing a muggleborn.

'It's funny how things work out,' he thought.

"Thanks. I tried my hardest. I remembered that this is what my dad used to do for my mum when I was little... before everything happened." Draco didn't want to ruin the dinner by talking about his family. He knew Hermione wanted answers about the article she had read, but she would get them later. Now wasn't the right time.

When Draco mentioned his parents, Hermione thought that he was ready to open up to her and she suddenly became more alert to every word he said. She knew better than to press him for answers when he stopped talking. He may have changed a lot, but he was still Draco Malfoy and she knew that he would tell her when he thought the time was right.

While they were eating, they asked each other several questions. Mainly about what they liked and didn't like. They discovered that they shared something in common; their favourite place in the whole world is France. They spent several minutes talking about what they do while they're in France and why they love it so much. They also talked about their favourite colours, food, music, movies and shops.

Hermione was enjoying herself, as was Draco, but she was still wondering when he was going to tell her about his family. She wanted to know why he was so secretive all the time about them and why he didn't tell anyone that his mother had died. She wouldn't have to wait long though. Draco planned on telling her straight after dessert which didn't take long considering it was Hermione's favourite – chocolate pudding with strawberry ice cream.

After clearing the table of their desserts, Draco started to walk over towards the couch in front of the fire. Hermione followed his lead and they both sat down. He begin to talk to her but the first words out of his mouth weren't what Hermione expected.

"Look, Hermione. I'm telling you all of this because if you're going to be a big part in my life like I hope you will be, you're going to know. It's hard for me to explain to you because I still don't fully understand everything but I will understand that if you don't want to be with me anymore after you've heard what I've said, that's okay. I won't be mad at you. But just please keep an open mind and remember that I am nothing like that prick that called himself my father."

She knew that he couldn't be mad at her if she chose not to be with him after hearing what he had to say, but at the same time, she knew him better than that. He would be angry. He would've told her everything for nothing and made himself vulnerable to someone he used to consider an enemy.

Hermione didn't ever realise that there could be something in Draco that could cause her to feel sorry for him. But this did. She knew that as he spoke, he was fighting back tears. His lips were trembling and his voice sounded cracked and weak during some points.

He told her everything. He poured his heart out to her and Hermione knew that after tonight there was no going back. He told her of how his father always used to beat him and his mother, but his mother always came off worse. Draco told her that his dad was a death eater and that he had murdered several people, magic people and muggles, in Draco's very own home. Draco admitted that he stood back and watched these people being murdered but never once did anything to stop it.

Hermione realised that he was not like his father. His father enjoyed abusing and embarrassing people. He liked abusing and embarrassing anyone and everyone. Draco only liked to embarrass Potter and Weasley. Lucius also enjoyed murdering people, including his wife. Draco didn't, Draco found it appalling but feared he would be abused if he ever did anything to stop the murder.

Hermione found out that the one person in Draco's life that he loved and would do anything for, was his mother. And she ended up to be the only person that he couldn't help or save. Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't.

"Everyday I feel guilty about what happened. I can't help but thinking that I could've done something or read some more spell books so I could've known how to open that door and he would've died instead."

Hermione just sat there. Silent and speechless. She had no idea what to say or how to make him know that there was nothing he could've done to save his mothers life. Words were all she had had for her whole life, but for the first time, words had failed her. So she did something else.

Hermione leaned forward, so she was closer to Draco. She cupped his chin in her hands and bought his face towards hers. Hermione wiped away a few tears off of his face before pressing her lips against his, taking particular notice of how soft his lips were.

This was the first time that Hermione had ever initiated a kiss and she hoped that she would get a response, a good response, from Draco and she did. He bought his hand up towards her face and placed it on her cheek for support. He looked into her warm brown eyes, which were slightly puffy from the emotion she had shown while listening to him talk and he kissed her.

Hermione felt as though her body had been set ablaze. A kiss had never made her feel this way before, but then again, a guy had never made her feel this way.

She loved the way that Draco had spent so much time on the presentation of the room and that he had cooked the food.

'Maybe that is what makes the kiss feel so special,' she thought.

Meanwhile, Draco's body didn't feel on fire – his heart did. The minute Hermione had kissed him, he knew she was going to stay with him. This was a hard time for him and to have Hermione knowing what he was going through and that she would be there to support him, only made him feel happy and secure.

When they pulled away, Draco reached into his pocket and produced a green and silver box, which he handed to Hermione.

Hermione, who was momentarily stunned from the kiss and also from the little green and silver box, just sat there which alarmed Draco.

"You don't want it?" Draco got scared, none of his gifts for people had ever been turned away.

"Oh, no. I mean, yes I do want it. I'm just surprised, that's all." Hermione said as she accepted the box off of him. Draco breathed a sigh of relief.

She opened the box and her breath was taken away. Sitting atop of silver silk was a gorgeous emerald ring. She loved it.

"It was my mothers. I wanted you to have it. It's not an engagement ring or anything. I remember when my mum gave it to me. She told me to give it to a girl that was special to me. And not that I would give it to anyone else or anything, but you're the only special girl in my life now so I thought that you might like to have it.

"Oh Draco! Thank you! It's beautiful. I'll never take it off!" Hermione didn't know what to do first so she jumped onto Draco's lap and hugged me and then placed the ring on her right hands ring finger. If it had of been on her left hand it could've easily have passed for an engagement ring. Hermione felt as though the ring weighed her finger down because it was so big but she knew she'd get used to it.

--

A/N: WOW! They've only been back at school for 2 days and look at what's happened! They're so close to each other already... but everyone's bound to face some obstacles in their relationship and this couple is no different!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Okay thanks for the reviews guys. Well, lets get on with it!

--

Hermione had had a great sleep. She woke up at 6.30am ready to begin her last year at Hogwarts and take her first classes as a seventh year.

The thought of having to get up and go to class would make any normal person want to go back to sleep, but Hermione was different. She could remember when she was little, she always loved going to her muggle school. She didn't have many friends, mainly because no one else shared her interest or passion for learning and books.

Now that she was a witch and went to a school of magic, it was no different. In fact, it made her want to get up and go to class even more than it did before. She had been anxious when she first stepped on to Platform 9 ¾ and she had hoped that she would find a group of friends with the same interests as her, like everyone else did. But she didn't. She was disappointed that she, once again, was the only person to have bothered to study their subjects before the term started. But this was who she was and people learnt to love and appreciate her for her endless knowledge of a variety of subjects.

One of those people, or at least he was maybe beginning to love her, was Draco Malfoy.

Hermione had always dreamt of someone 'sweeping her off her feet,' and romancing her like they did to girls in movies. But to her all it ever was, was a dream. Well it was up until last night.

Draco Malfoy was the last person she had ever expected to be romanced by, but it happened. He did have a soft side, and Hermione had uncovered it. He wasn't anything like Viktor or Ron.

Viktor was a lot quieter than Draco, and more like an illusion. To Hermione, Viktor always seemed like he was there, but he wasn't? If you know what I mean. It was like every word that she said went in one ear and out the other. All he had going for him was Quidditch and his devilishly handsome appearance.

Ron, on the other hand, always tried to hard and things always looked strained. Although his effort did impress Hermione, she never truly felt at ease when they were alone and Ron was doing his best to romance her.

"Oh, gosh... Ron was so clumsy, he could never have done half as good of a job as Draco did." Hermione said to herself while she dressed.

She was happy to be a seventh year because she didn't have to wear that dreadful long skirt and the rest of the Hogwarts School uniform. Seventh years could wear whatever they liked; as long as it was appropriate.

That day she had decided to wear black cropped-cargo ¾ pants. These fitted her well, and they made her thighs look leaner. She had a light blue halterneck top underneath a denim elbow-length jacked. The white wedges that she wore on her feet stood out and instantly brightened her outfit. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail – it was all straight except for a few curls at the bottom.

She kept her make-up simple, it was only school after all. She put on a light concealer to cover the few freckles that were sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. As well as some mascara and light bronze eyeshadow. She thought she looked quite nice so she started to make her way down to her common room.

She saw that Draco's door was open and figured that he must have already gone to breakfast. Then she noticed 'Head Boy' written on Draco's door.

'Oh shit! My badge!' she thought.

She ran back up to her room, not wanting to miss breakfast completely, and found her head badge then she practically jogged to the Entrance Hall. Once she was there, she composed herself and entered to find the majority of tables empty. Breakfast would be over in 20 minutes and soon people would be heading off to get textbooks and things for their first class.

She saw Ginny reading a book at the Gryffindor table and decided to go and sit next to her for breakfast. Apart from staring to death right now, Hermione missed her best friend and wanted to know how things were going with her, Blaise, the baby and their families. She knew she talked to her the day before but she had become so close to Ginny that she needed to speak to her everyday. They were like sisters. Maybe they would've been if Ron hadn't have screwed around.

While she was walking towards Ginny, she couldn't help but glance over at the Slytherin table. Sure enough, Draco was sitting there, Pansy all over him like maggots to a dead animal. Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

'My god, can't the girl take a hint?' she thought.

Hermione knew that if she ever got looks of a guy, the ones like Draco was giving Pansy, she'd so know that he wasn't interested in her. In fact, just from the look, she'd know that the guy was utterly repulsed by her and obviously couldn't stand the sight, smell or sound of her.

'Luckily,' Hermione thought, 'No one treats me like that.'

She took a seat next to Ginny and instantly distinguished between the books cover and what was written inside the book. Just by reading the first paragraph it was so obvious that Ginny wasn't reading the sixth year transfiguration textbook. She was reading a book about first-time parenting.

"So... you guys are really gonna do this, huh?" Hermione asked.

"What? Oh yeah, the baby? Yeah, I don't know how I could give it up. It's already a part of me."

Hermione smiled. She was proud of Ginny. Having a baby definitely isn't the easiest thing in the world, but here Ginny was, barely 16 and already expecting a baby before the school year is out.

"I'm really proud of you, Gin. God knows that I wouldn't be able to stay sane if I was you. The thought of being a mum scares me right now and I'm a year older than you."

Ginny smiled and hugged Hermione.

"Thanks, Mione. That really does mean a lot. I just hope I'm as good of a mum as my mum is."

"Don't worry, hun. You will be. I just know it."

--

Hermione was walking back from the dungeons where she had just had her first two classes – an advanced potions double lesson. It wasn't that bad. Only those who had achieved an 'O' on the O.W.L's were allowed to do Advanced Potions, and there weren't that many; only about 15 or so. The biggest competition for Hermione in that class was Draco, but that was to be expected. Everyone knew that Draco loved potions because he was always fussed over by Snape in their first few years at Hogwarts.

The lesson wasn't very exciting. They mainly just copied down notes off of the board and were given lectures about how far potions could take them in their chosen careers and things. Hermione knew that she could live up to the expectations that their teacher had set. They were simple instructions really; make sure your work is in on time, make sure your work is to you're highest standard, etc.

She was on her way back to her common room for a quick break in between the 2nd and third period (her favourite class, Arithmancy), which would begin in 20 minutes. She felt a slight push from behind her and found herself in an empty classroom.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I just finished reading the 'Half-Blood Prince' again for the 4th time! I still can't believe Dumbledore is dead! Oh well. It was bound to happen. Harry and Voldemort need to be unassisted in their final battle! But we all know that the Dark Lord will have a lil bit of help, don't we!

Also, to answer a question; yes, Blaise and Ginny were going out over the holidays but broke up just before coming back to school because of the whole Slytherin-Gryffindor thing. They got back together because they still really wanted to be together and there was another Slytherin-Gryffindor couple in the form of Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger!

Anyway, hope y'all liked the last chapter! On with the story!

--

She turned around to see Ron. The person she was dreading to see or even go near to.

"Hermione, we have to talk."

"No we don't, Ronald."

"Hermione, just listen to me."

"I don't want to."

Hermione moved towards the door but Ron blocked it.

"Move, Ron." He didn't, "I said move!"

Hermione went to grab for her wand, which was tucked away inside her denim jacket but Ron was too fast for her and caught her hand.

"I wouldn't do that, Hermione." He said. He let go of her. "Let's just talk. Please. Just like normal people."

Hermione, knowing that she wasn't going to win, agreed. But her temper ended up getting the better of her.

"Fine, Ronald. Lets talk. No, wait. How about I talk and you shut up and listen. Okay?"

Ron merely nodded in agreement. He knew better than to argue with Hermione when she was pissed off.

"Okay, first of all I want you to know that I despise, no actually, I hate seeing you, being near you, hearing you talk or worse, hearing you talk to me like you did just then. I even hate it more that I am actually talking to you which is the one thing I promised myself I wouldn't do. But here I am doing it!"

Hermione stopped for a short breath, before continuing.

"What you did to me was completely unfair and uncalled for. What the hell did I ever do to you to make you do something like that to me? I didn't even know Hannah was one of your friends let alone finding out that you'd been off fucking her while I was still your girlfriend! Not only did you absolutely break my heart, you bloody ripped it out and jumped on it! Not to mention that you've embarrassed me in front of everyone!"

"Stop right there Hermione. How did I embarrass you? I don't think I did."

"Okay, first of all, everyone knew that we were going out, right," Ron nodded, "Yeah, exactly. So how do you think I felt when I arrived on the train and saw you and that Hufflepuff slut all over each other. People had only just started to catch word that you and I had broken up a couple of days before school started back and here you were all over that red-headed bitch in front of me! I call that embarrassing! Wouldn't you?"

"Hermione, get over it. I told you I was with Hannah. By the way, don't bring her into this, it's not her fault."

"Not her fault, hey? Well I think she knew that we had been going out for a few years didn't she? Everyone knew. It was common knowledge at Hogwarts. Not to mention it was written all over the papers!" Hermione began to mimic the headlines, "'Harry Potter's two best friend find love –with each other!' Honestly Ron! Think before you speak. She has everything to do with this."

"Before you put the blame on anyone else Hermione, I think you should stop and look at yourself. If you were such a good girlfriend and could do nothing wrong in our relationship, then why the fuck would I even look at another girl let alone touch her?"

With that, Ron stormed out of the classroom, leaving a clearly distressed Hermione only just understanding what he had last said.

--

Draco was sitting in the Heads common room with Blaise. They were talking about Quidditch and who was going to replace last years team members that had left school.

With Draco as captain, and Blaise as vice captain, this team was surely going to be better than any other of the Slytherin teams in history is.

The Quidditch conversation quickly turned into a conversation about Broomsticks when Hermione stormed through the common room and up to her bedroom. Even though she was Draco's girlfriend, she was still Potter's friend and he couldn't risk her hearing their Quidditch tactics and plans and then possibly telling the 'Boy Wonder.'

Draco thought back to the holidays before second year started. He had managed to get his father to persuade Marcus Flint's dad into making Marcus put Draco on the Slytherin team as a Seeker. It wasn't as easy as Draco thought though. Flint didn't want any second-rate Seeker on his team because as a rich Slytherin, he had learnt that anything that isn't the best, just isn't worth it.

'Hermione was right when she said that I bought my way in.' He thought.

It was true; his father had bought the whole team Nimbus 2001's which were faster than Harry's Nimbus 2000.

Back then it was all a competition to Draco, but now it was getting serious. Over the years, he had become an outstanding Quidditch player, so much so that he had had offers to play for Quidditch teams all over the world as a Seeker. But he wasn't concerned about that right now, his main priority was his Quidditch team – the Slytherins and winning the Quidditch cup!

He knew every year that Gryffindor was the team to beat and yet he always managed to let the golden snitch be caught by Potter. But not this year, oh no. This year was Draco's year. This year was when Slytherin was going to show everyone who the best team was!

--

Hermione ran up to her room and closed the door. Her encounter with Ron was definitely still fresh in her mind. She couldn't stop crying. He had said it. It was all her fault. She couldn't believe she let Ron slip away from her like that.

Weren't they meant to be the match made in Heaven? She was the prefect student, with the highest grades in Hogwarts' history to boast about. Whereas he was the Hogwarts clown from the loving family that was envied by those who didn't have such a family.

They were always in the 'Daily Prophet,' or any other tabloid. Photos of the two out in public were hot property and if Harry was captured in the shot, they were sold for even more. The 3 were celebrities, mainly Harry for being who he was but his fame had rubbed off on his two best friends who were just as famous as he was. Of course, he was famous for being 'The Boy Who Lived' but Hermione and Ron were famous for being Harry's best friends. The fact that they were in a relationship together only made them more famous.

She remembered the look on Ron's face when he told her that his dad had received a promotion and now he and Ginny, the only remaining Weasleys at Hogwarts, could get new things instead of second hand things.

Ron was always embarrassed by his family's lack of wealth but now he was becoming more comfortable with his background. He had credited Hermione with helping him get over the fact that his family wasn't as well off as most other wizarding families. He had always admired the way Hermione had been proud of her muggle background.

But now she was finally understanding that she was a bad girlfriend and it wouldn't take Draco long to realise that he would have to wait until he got what most teenage boys wanted. Quite frankly, Hermione didn't think he was the type of guy to wait around. She knew what she had to do.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Lets get straight into in! Don't forget to review please! I really want to know what you think of the story! Okay um theres a little bit of sex in this story, the actual part isn't that detailed because, well, being 14 and all, I've never had sex! But I'll try my best at writing it.

--

Draco said 'goodbye' to Blaise and had just sat back down on the comfortable couch in the Heads' common room. He was gathering all of his Quidditch work and was about to put it away when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

'It must be Hermione,' he thought. 'oh yeah, I have to ask why she was so upset before,' he added, making a mental note.

--

Hermione couldn't believe she was about to do this! It had only been two days since they had started going out and she was about to do something dramatic...

She walked down the stairs that took her to her dormitory and sat next to Draco on the couch. She was shaking. She knew this was the right thing to do but she was still just a little scared. She had never done this before.

"Hey baby!" Draco said, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. She saw him gather up his Quidditch things and knew that this was the right moment.

She pushed his hands away from his Quidditch things and nudged him backward slightly so that now she was lying on top of him while he had his back against the cushions on the couch. She started to kiss him, softly at first and waited for his response. She could tell she had caught him off guard but he quickly kissed her back just a few seconds later.

She kissed him deeper, this time with more passion and she knew that he wanted her. She could feel his erection pressing into her stomach.

'Wow!' she thought, 'it doesn't take a lot to get a guy in the mood, now does it?'

They continued kissing for a little longer. During this time, Draco's black wifebeater singlet top had been removed during the passion, as well as Hermione's denim ¾ elbow-length jacket and light blue halterneck top. And somehow, Draco had ended up on top!

The teenagers continued to kiss, only momentarily coming up from air to hear someone pleaded at the portrait for Hermione to come out and listen to him. The pair recognized the voice as Ron's.

Draco waited for Hermione to do something and was more than happy when she ignored his pleas and went back to snogging him.

Hermione didn't care what Ron thought anymore, he said all those hurtful things to her before and now, because of him, she was about to lose her virginity to Draco Malfoy. This was not how she planned losing her virginity, but then again, nothing had gone to plan this year.

Draco pulled away from the kiss and stared into Hermione's chestnut brown eyes.

'God, she's is beautiful.' He thought. He stared a little longer and he hoped Hermione knew what he was asking as he gazed into her eyes.

Hermione stared back and nodded. She knew what that look meant. She had seen it over a thousand times in movies. It's the kind of look where the guy looks into your eyes and asks for permission, not verbally of course, to make love to you.

Hermione had waited for 'the look' ever since they began kissing and she knew that she had surprised Draco when she nodded her head. Hell, he was surprised that she even understood what he was asking for.

'There is no way she could've done this before but it's like she knew it was going to happen. Why else would she have been shaking when she sat down next to me before?' Draco asked himself.

He had noticed Hermione shaking, even though she had tried her best to control her body. She knew that it was a mixture of emotions; fear, anticipation, excitement.

Draco kissed her once more and knew that she was ready. He pulled away and stood up, asking for Hermione's hand as he did. She reached out her hand and he helped her to stand up before leading her into his bedroom.

He knew that she would probably feel more comfortable in her own bedroom but he didn't want to do it there in case she regretted sleeping with him afterwards. He couldn't bear to have her not wanting to sleep in that bed because of the memory of them being so intimate together. He knew it wouldn't bother him because he knew that he would never regret this night, even if she did. But even though he knew that she probably wouldn't regret sleeping with him, he didn't want to take any chances.

He bought her to the foot of his bed and kissed her. They kissed for what seemed like hours to Hermione, and then they pulled apart. He started to unbuckle his belt and Hermione helped him to pull his baggy jeans down. Then she slid his silk black boxer shorts down revealing his man parts. Now she knew what all the girls were talking about. He definitely was quite large, but she had nothing to compare it to.

He pulled her body towards his and unclipped her bra from behind, all while kissing her neck. Hermione could tell he was experienced in this area; he seemed to know what he was doing and he was definitely confident.

Slowly he pulled her pants down, and then her panties, revealing her most intimate feature. He kissed her once again before leading her towards his huge bed. Hermione lied down on her back and Draco took his position on top of her.

She was ready, he knew and so did she but before Draco went any further he glanced at her up and down. She was definitely the most beautiful woman he had even seen. He wanted to be sure this is what she wanted, so he asked:

"You sure about this?" Hermione nodded and braced herself for the pain that all the girls talked about while discussing their first time.

He slowly pushed himself into her and he saw Hermione wince. He could tell that this was hurting her and he instantly felt guilty. She opened her eyes and Draco noticed the tears that were bunched up in the ducts of her eyes.

He knew that she was a virgin, but he definitely didn't expect her to have no experience in this area whatsoever. He had slept with other virgins but she was by far the tightest and this is why it hurt her so bad.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked, he hoped that she would say no.

"Keep going," she managed to say through gritted teeth.

"Don't worry baby, it gets better." He told her and Hermione gave him a faint smile.

He slowly pulled back out and thrust again. With each thrust he could tell that it was getting more pleasurable and a lot less painful for Hermione. She actually began to moan so Draco started up a rhthym.

--

Hermione was sitting at the Gryffindor table the next morning for breakfast. She was telling Ginny all about her night with Draco. They were like sisters, it was only natural for them to talk about things like this. Ginny told Hermione when she first had sex, so now Hermione was returning the favour. Ginny was extremely excited for Hermione

Ginny began to rub her stomach and was telling Hermione about her morning sickness and that's when Hermione remembered that they hadn't used protection!

"Oh, shit Gin! That's the last thing I need," she told her best friend, "No offence or anything." She added.

"None taken," her flame-haired friend replied. "I know this spell, but you have to do it within the first 24 hours or else it doesn't work. I guess I learned the hard way," Ginny gave a smile.

--

Hermione ran up to her dorm to cast the spell over herself. She didn't really want a baby right now so she prayed to god that it worked. She'd just have to wait and see if it did.

--

Meanwhile, after just completing a few hours of quidditch practice, Draco was getting ready to head up to the castle to catch some breakfast before his first class (Arithmancy, 2nd period) began.

He had put the quaffle and the snitch in their respective compartments and had just won a fierce battle to lock the bludgers away.

"Nasty little buggers," he said, proud of his achievement. This was the first time that he had managed to lock away the bludgers all on his own.

"Oi, Malfoy. Get your slimy ass over here." Someone had called out to him and he was pretty confident he knew who it was. He turned around, and sure enough, walking towards him was the Weasel.

"You know, Weasel, what's the point in telling someone to get their 'slimy ass' over there if you're planning on walking towards them anyway."

'Cop that,' he thought. He had the Weasel there.

Ron stopped about a meter (or 3feet depending on where you're from) away from Draco and that's when it all began.

"What makes you think you're good enough to deserve Hermione?" Ron asked, obviously pissed off the he had once again been beaten by Draco even though it was Ron that threw Hermione out.

"What makes you think that it's any of you're business?"

"Just the fact that I never actually told her that we were over."

The last comment stunned Draco and it took him a moment to actually realise what this meant.

"What the fuck did you just say?"

"Well, all I ever really remember saying is that I loved her, but I loved someone else too and she loves me. I never said anything about us breaking up. Wait, I did say I never meant to hurt her, but nope... I don't remember ever telling her that it was over. She ran away before I could say anything else."

Draco knew what Ron was doing. He was trying to cause shit between him and Hermione. From what Draco could understand, he had basically told her that their relationship was over whether he used those words or not.

"This doesn't change anything between Hermione and I. Face it, Weasley. Whether or not you broke up with her, she's made it perfectly clear to me that she doesn't want you. Oh, yes. She made it perfectly clear last night."

With that, Draco smirked, picked up his broom and quidditch balls and turned on his heel and left. He still wanted to talk to Hermione about what Ron had said but from what he could gather, Hermione was all his whether Ron liked it or not.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thanks for reviewing guys! Keep it up! I hope you like the story so far... I haven't updated in a little while because I've been quite busy with dancing! But school's finished now until late January, so I should be able to update lots of Christmas Holidays! And in case I don't update again before the, I hope you all have a really fantastic Christmas and an amazing New Years Party and New Year! I'm not going to bother making resolutions because I never stick to them! The only one I've ever stuck to was the one I made this past New Years and that was to do everything except sex and now I've completed that!

I hope you guys are way better than me at sticking to your resolutions so make 'em good and stick to them!

--

Hermione's classes were a breeze that day. Transfiguration could not have been more simple (I mean, come on, it was revision from her past 6 years at Hogwarts). She was definitely lucky that her classes were so simple because she had other things on her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about her night with Draco and how she would feel when she was alone with him next.

She didn't know how it was the first time after a couple had sex because, obviously, this was her first time. She was scared that things would be different, like all he would want to do now is sexual things or that they wouldn't be able to communicate with each other normally.

Or what if he thought that he was just a rebound thing? Hermione wouldn't be able to live knowing that he thought that. She definitely had to talk to him but she knew that once she was alone with him, things probably wouldn't be the same as they were before. She had heard about how sex complicated things and she was terrified that it would complicate their new relationship; it was difficult enough as it was.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice that she was about to walk into someone who was also caught up in his thoughts.

Hermione was knocked to the ground when they collided, the other person didn't fall, just slightly stumbled.

"Watch were you're going, slut." The person said.

She looked up to see her ex-boyfriend gazing down at her with a frightening look in his eyes. Hermione had thought that she heard him call her a slut, but she didn't want to believe that it was true. No one had ever called her a slut before and she certainly didn't want to be called one again.

"What did you just call me?" she asked, not wanting to know whether or not she really wanted to hear his answer.

"I called you a slut." He replied with as much venom in this sentence as he had had in the first.

"What bought that on?" she asked. She was stumped for a reason for why he was saying all this to her.

"Like you don't know what I'm talking about," he replied, looking at her as though she was either seriously stupid or playing dumb.

"No, I don't know what the hell you're going on about."

"Fine, I'll tell you. You're a slut because you were with me for two years and we never did _anything _– not even finger or hand. All I could do was kiss you. But you're with that slimy git for 3 days and you already have spread for him."

If looks could kill, Hermione would be dead right now. But luckily, they can't so all Hermione could do was stand there; dumbfounded.

'How the hell did he find out?' she thought. She knew that Ginny wouldn't have told him and Draco wouldn't have.

--

Hermione answered the portrait with the Heads' password and it allowed her entry. She walked into the common room still trying to figure out how Ron would've known about her and Draco when she walked past Draco who was sitting on the couch, clearly frustrated with something. She stood there for a little while, just looking at Draco. Even when he looked mad, he still was gorgeous. Draco was the first to break his silence.

"Why didn't you tell me you and Weasley never actually broke up?" He sounded like he didn't know whether to be stern with her, or start to cry.

"Excuse me?" Now Hermione was really confused. Her and Ron did break up. He didn't love her anymore, he told her so. That was the end of their relationship, now they were both seeing other people. They weren't together anymore. Didn't Draco understand that?

"He told me he never broke up with you. He said he never told you that it was over."

"Well, he said he didn't love me, and that he loved someone else. Surely that's another way of saying 'I don't want to be with you anymore.'" She answered, honestly believing her words.

"Wait, he told you? What were you doing speaking to him anyway?"

"He confronted me after Quidditch practice. So are you two still together or not?"

"No, we're not together. You should know that. I'm with you!" Hermione cried to him.

"Do you have any feelings for him? Be honest. I can handle it." He asked. Even though he said he could handle whatever she said to him, she knew that if she said something like she still loved him, he wouldn't be able to handle it. He would not like that at all.

"The only feelings in which I hold for Ron are hatred and pity. Pity because his with Hannah Abbott, who's with everyone. Hatred because he's hurt me more than anyone else in this world, and he called me a slut before."

"Why did he call you that?" Draco was curious. Why would anyone call Hermione a slut? Sure she dressed a little more risqué now than she did before, but she still kept it casual, not over the top slutty.

"Well he said it was because I never did anything except kissing with him and we were together for 2 years but as soon as I got with you, we slept together already."

Hermione noticed that the tips of Draco's ears went pink, she figured that this might be something that happens when he's nervous or embarrassed because it's happened on more than one occasion.

"What? How does he know?" then suddenly it all came back to him... 'Perfectly clear... perfectly clear last night,' he remembered.

"Oh shit, Hermione. I told him that you were over him and that you made it clear last night but I never said that we slept together."

"Oh my god, you idiot. What else could that have meant?"

--

As the couple walked down to dinner that evening, they received a whole lot of stares the whole way down to the great hall. People also started whispering to each other, occasionally glancing up to look at them as they walked past. Something was definitely going on.

As they entered the great hall, the monstrous sobs that could be heard from Pansy Parkinson over at the Slytherin table were enough to tell the couple that something was definitely going on. When Pansy saw the couple enter, she stood up from the table and walked towards Draco and Hermione with a purpose. She slapped Draco, called him an "evil bastard" and then pushed Hermione roughly out of the way and ran out of the great hall.

The two were left confused after the commotion and everyone in the great hall was now looking at them. They saw Ginny, who looked as pale as ever – 'probably due to morning sickness,' Hermione thought – walking towards them.

"I swear I didn't tell anyone, Hermione. I promise on our friendship. It was Ron. He told Lavender and Parvati, and well you know, once they know some gossip, everyone knows. I'm really sorry. I never knew he could be like this."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked. She didn't know what Ginny was talking about. 'Come to think of it,' she thought, 'I've been pretty much out of it all day!'

"He told everyone? About us?" he asked Ginny, referring to Hermione and himself as 'us.'

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone, and I mean everyone, in school knows by now. Even the teachers."

"Oh my god. I think I am going to die right now." Hermione said. She couldn't bear to think about what her teachers would be thinking if they knew that she had slept with Draco Malfoy. "I don't want to be expelled. I've worked too hard for everything to be expelled right now."

"Relax, 'Mione." Ginny whispered to Hermione as she pulled her friend in for a tight hug, "I'm pregnant and I'm still here. Imagine what will happen when that gets out. You and Draco just had sex, Blaise and I did and now I'm pregnant. I'm going to be due either just before or just after school ends. I don't even know if I'll come back to do seventh year."

The young redhead then returned to her seat at the Gryffindor table, leaving Hermione and Draco by themselves, still at the entrance to the Great Hall. They were too embarrassed to move. Draco had always found himself in the middle of rumours that were going around the school, especially ones about sex, but this was different. Somehow it seemed more believable than all the others did and people just seemed to know it was true. There was no point in denying it.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Wow! So everyone knows Draco and Hermione have slept with each other. They're just gonna have to deal with it though!

--

The two had just finished dinner in the Heads' room. They didn't want to have to eat with everyone staring at them and talking about them. Hermione hated it. She didn't know how Harry had dealt with this ever since coming into the wizarding world when he was 11. People stared at him and talked about him every minute of every day and Hermione couldn't even handle knowing that she was today's hot gossip.

Draco seemed more relaxed in Hermione's company than he ever would've been if his father hadn't had his soul sucked out of him. If Lucius ever found out that his son had slept with a mudblood, he'd be furious. He'd kill Hermione, then Draco. But at the moment, and for the rest of his life until he rots away and dies, he doesn't even know he has a son. Draco wouldn't be surprised if he was even literate anymore. He probably wouldn't even know the word 'mudblood' now, let alone what it meant.

Everything was turning out okay and Draco was actually happy. The only thing that could make him happier was if his mother was still alive. He missed her so much; apart from Hermione, she was the only person in this world that he ever felt truly understood him. God knows his father didn't, Crabbe and Goyle most certainly didn't and Pansy, well she thought she did but she knew jack shit.

'Maybe Blaise as well,' Draco thought, while playing with Hermione's hair while she lay on his chest. 'Blaise and I are close; like brothers. Maybe he understands me.'

But somehow Draco didn't believe that yet. He knew that they were both completely different people but that's what made them so close. They were like brothers, just like he thought, but they still didn't confide everything to each other. Nearly everything, but some things were still left unsaid.

He had now told Hermione everything he didn't tell Blaise. He thought Blaise would think less of him if he did; he thought he would think Draco wasn't a 'real man' if he just started crying in front of Blaise. He was sure Blaise felt the same around the Weaselette as well.

'I gotta stop calling her that.' He thought. 'Ginny. The girls' name is Ginny. She's Hermione's best friend, and Blaise's girl. Ginny. Remember that.'

"What are you thinking about?" Hermione asked. She had stopped staring into the fireplace and was now looking up into Draco's eyes.

"Just Ginny," he replied. 'Crap, that sounded wrong,' he thought.

"What?" Hermione asked, smiling. "You're thinking bout Ginny? Oh no, Draco. Don't go there. She's pregnant for Christ's' sake!"

"No, I'm not thinking about that? I'm just trying to remind myself to call her Ginny, not 'Weaselette' anymore."

"Oh," she smiled. "Well in that case, here, you can have this." she smiled playfully and leaned forward to kiss him.

Only a peck on the lips, just to tease him. Hermione liked playing around with Draco. She could so easily wrap him around her finger when they were together. She knew the exact right amount to give him, to make him want her to give him more and that's the way she liked it.

"Draco wants more, please," he said in a sweet voice.

"Oh really?" Hermione flirtatiously asked. "Draco can have what he wants then."

Draco closed his eyes and leant in for another kiss, hoping to score another hot and heavy snogging session before he did his homework and went to bed, but Hermione obviously didn't want that. She had other things in her mind.

Instead of kissing his lips, Hermione kissed his neck and made her way down, kissing the spots she knew that would turn him on. Apparently the torso is a very sensitive spot for a guy, well according to the magazines that she reads it is.

She got down to his belly button and pushed his white wifebeater singlet shirt up. She kissed his belly button and continued further down and passed his not-even-there snail trail.

She unbuckled his black leather belt, which looked kind-of punkish to her – something she never thought she would ever see Draco wearing. She took his belt off and tossed it on the floor, still kissing the part of his pelvis that wasn't covered by his shirt or the top of his baggy denim jeans.

Now that his belt was off, it was time for his pants to come off, too. She steadily undid the button and pulled the zipper down. Then, she stopped kissing Draco and pulled his pants off.

'For a first timer, she doesn't look that scared.' Draco thought. He had been watching her work the entire time. He was impressed with her enthusiasm. Yesterday she was a nervous virgin who had never done anything sexual in her whole life. Today she was a confident young woman who had only ever had sex – her and Draco had skipped a few steps but today she was playing catch-up.

Now Draco's bottom half was almost completely naked and free of clothing. He still had his black silk boxer shorts on but Hermione removed them swiftly and continued kissing her way down towards his 'package.'

He was unsure what she was going to do; maybe a hand job or maybe head, possibly both.

At first she just teased him with her tongue, licking around the base. Never once putting it in her mouth. She was also holding his penis with one hand, but wasn't using it to stimulate him in any way, but only the thought of her touch and the feeling of her hands and tongue on his member did enough to excite him. She didn't need to do anything else, he was getting hard just by her teasing, but then she did. She took him into her mouth, slowly taking her time with her tongue, running it along the sides of his penis. Up and down she continued to suck before he felt her relax her entire mouth.

'God no, there's no way. She can't possibly be thinking of doing - '

"OH my GOD, Hermione." His voice had never faltered him on many occasions, but this was one that it did. Hermione had done what most girls, first time or not, don't even attempt to do. She had taken his entire length into her mouth and it drove him wild.

He felt Hermione smile when he practically screamed out his pleasure. He was enjoying this and he could tell Hermione was too. She continued to suck and played with him at the same time. He was enjoying this and before he knew it, he had already came.

She swallowed everything that entered her mouth and for a second he thought he saw a look of disgust on her face while she attempted to swallow the whole lot at once. She gradually finished it all off and then licked the head of his penis clean.

Without a doubt in his mind, this was the best blow job Draco had ever received. 'They can only get better with practice,' he thought and he smirked to himself. 'Damn! I'm a lucky guy. She is fuckin' awesome!'

She was still sitting on top of his naked legs, watching him smirk and think to himself. His next thought was his best yet. In one swift action he managed to find himself sitting on top of Hermione, and her laying underneath him, looking up at him, obviously curious as to what he was about to do.

"Your turn now," he whispered into her ear and then he began following the same plan Hermione started out with. He kissed every inch of the top half of her body and made his way down, towards his favourite part of the female anatomy. Blocking his way was her white mini-skirt and light underwear but that was quickly fixed.

He began to tease her like she teased him. He flicked his tongue across her clit and made her scream in delight. He knew she wanted more but she would just have to wait.

"Draco, stop." Hermione told him.

"No, baby. I'm just getting warmed up." He answered.

"Draco, stop." Hermione pleaded once more.

He then heard a third person clear their throat, he lifted his head from Hermione's crotch, making sure he covered her parts in case someone else was in the room. Yep! Someone else was most definitely in the room. Professor Severus Snape had just walked in on his favourite student going down on the Head Girl.

The first thought that popped into Draco's mind was that Hermione didn't scream because she was in pleasure, she screamed because someone had walked in on them without even knocking on the portrait. But, hey, teachers do that.

"I am sorry to interrupt you, Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said, who didn't look sorry to interrupt but actually rather disgusted at what he had just witnessed. "but Madam Pomfrey wanted me to inform you in regards to Mr. Zabini. He is being transferred to St. Mungo's in half-an-hour. She wondered, as did his pregnant girlfriend Ms. Weasley, if you would like to see him before he is moved."

"What? Blaise is in the hospital wing?" Hermione asked. She was stunned, she had seen him while he was at dinner and he looked fine then.

"What the fuck happened to him?" Draco asked, putting on his pants and walking towards the portrait.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: So Snape walked in on Hermione and Draco in a compromising position and Blaise is in the hospital wing.

--

When Hermione and Draco reached the hospital wing, they saw Ginny sitting just outside the door with tears streaming down her face.

"He doesn't remember me, Hermione! After everything we've been through, he doesn't even remember!" Ginny had thrown herself into Hermione's arms and was now crying into the nape of Hermione's neck.

Draco, meanwhile, had ran into the hospital wing and was deeply concerned for the safety of his best friend. He saw Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore standing at the end of a bed towards the back of the room. They were talking in hushed voices, obviously not wanting Blaise to hear their conversation.

At least, Draco thought it was Blaise. He could tell that Madam Pomfrey had tried to heal all the cuts, bumps and bruises that covered every inch of his body that Draco could see; only his face, neck and arms. He looked like he had been badly beaten up and Draco instantly felt guilty. He had been too busy hiding in his dormitory and he wasn't there helping his best friend.

"What's wrong with him?" Draco asked Dumbledore when Madam Pomfrey had finally left the room. He wasn't in the mood to listen to Pomfrey go on about which potions could be used to fix his friend, he just wanted to know straight up what happened, what was wrong with Blaise and how they would fix it. No beating around the bush, Draco hated that and it was something that Madam Pomfrey always did.

"The majority of the Slytherin males, years five to seven, decided to punish him for his impregnation of young Ms. Weasley. It seems they have found out about the pregnancy and decided to take matters in their own hands. Ms. Weasley escaped unharmed thanks to Mr. Potter, but the same cannot be said for Mr. Zabini. Apparently having the surname of 'Weasley' brings disgrace to the name of wizard, and being physically involved with one is unacceptable."

Draco scoffed at this. He had never had a problem with any of the Weasleys – only Ron. There was nothing anyone could do that would make him change his mind about Ron. Unlike his father, he disagreed that the name 'Weasley' bought disgrace to the wizarding world. Everyone feared the Malfoys, he thought that being a Malfoy could either be the best or the worst thing in the world.

Usually he thought it was the worst. Everyone feared them and the ones that didn't only liked them because of their power and money. He also didn't like the association with the Dark Lord that he was supposed to have had because he was a Malfoy. It was his father and his fathers' predecessors that were connected to the Dark Lord. Basically everyone in his family, except he and his mother, were in on the Dark Arts.

But this wasn't a time for Draco to be thinking about himself. His girlfriends best friend, and his best friends girlfriend, was out there crying because she didn't think her boyfriend remembered her. All he wanted now was revenge.

"Sir, what was Ginny talking about when she told Hermione that Blaise didn't remember her?"

"Oh, yes. It is apparent that Mr. Zabini has a case of amnesia. It is unknown whether it is temporary or not. All we know is that he can no longer remember anything, anyone or anywhere. Including Ms. Weasley and their unborn child."

"One more question, sir. Who were the main attackers?"

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy. Let me make you aware of the fact that they are being severely punished and some are even being appropriately expelled."

Draco didn't receive the answer he wanted. Draco wanted to know and he would find out. He wanted revenge for his best friend, and for Ginny. He started to walk out of the Hospital Wing, quickening his pace with every step that he took.

"Draco, where are you going?" Hermione called after him. He was now running and Hermione didn't know whether he had heard her and just not answered, or if he genuinely didn't hear her. But she wasn't going to think about anyone other than Ginny right now. Her best friend needed her and she wasn't going to turn her back on her now when Ginny needed her most.

--

Hermione had taken Ginny up to her common room so that they could talk and not be disturbed. She didn't find Draco anywhere in their Heads' quarters and she didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Gin, how did everyone find out?"

Ginny mumbled a name through her tears but Hermione couldn't make out the name that she said.

"Ron." Ginny said it clearer this time, and Hermione knew from the tone of her voice that this was now a family feud that wouldn't end anytime soon. She was used to Ron and Ginny fighting and then talking normally a few minutes later but he had blown it now, for sure.

"He's the reason Blaise is in the hospital wing! If he had of kept his mouth shut, Blaise would've been fine. But no, he wanted to hurt me because I'm still friends with you – even though you're with Malfoy. I told him that Draco's actually a nice guy once you get to know him, and that he has changed, but Ron doesn't listen. He's still hung up on you and can't believe that you've moved on already. He certainly hasn't. Oh god 'Mione! I hate him so much!"

Ginny took a deep breath and attempted to free herself of the tears, at which hadn't stopped pouring out of her lovely green eyes.

"Mum's going to hate him! He's put the father of my baby in St. Mungos, well not him personally but it was his fault, and now Blaise doesn't even remember me or know that I'm having his baby. Well, he does know because I told him when I saw him in the hospital wing but he doesn't remember anything!"

Hermione pulled her best friend into her arms and they both started crying. Ginny was hysterical and Hermione wasn't far behind. She hated seeing her best friend in such a bad way.

--

Draco only slowed down when he reached the Slytherin common room's portrait. He said the password and entered. He was still feared in that room, whether or not he was with Hermione. The looks on the faces of everyone in that common room when they saw how furious Draco was were priceless. People didn't know whether to attempt to fade into the background, or come forward and admit that they knew whom was responsible. Either way they knew that Draco would get to them and if he didn't like their answer, or if he thought that they knew something that they weren't telling him, they'd get their arse kicked.

You see, when it came to Draco's friends and family – his father excluded – Draco was also passionate about them. If any of them got hurt, well whoever hurt them would suffer at the hands of Draco. He never used his wand to fight his battles, only when he knew it was a tough competition. So basically, he never used his wand in a fight. This was different though, he had his wand with him and if he needed to, he would use it. He didn't think he would have to though. He was still the owner of the Wizarding world's most powerful surname, regardless of the fact he was now an orphan. He was still feared as much as his father was, because as far as anyone knew, Draco was 'in' with the Dark Lord.

"Oh Drakie-baby, tell me it's not true. Tell me you didn't sleep with that mudblood bitch!"

"Fuck off, Pansy. Oh, and yes it is true. I have fucked her and she is a better lay than you ever were."

'Good that got rid of her,' he thought. He didn't just say that to get Pansy to leave him alone, he said it because it was true. Sure, sex for him was always great. It was usually dark so whether or not the girl was great looking, it always was amazing. Not Pansy, though. Her voice always ruined it. But with Hermione, sex wasn't just amazing. He loved that he was her first and for the first time, it was a lot deeper than a physical connection and he was emotionally involved with the woman he had bedded.

"Now, who the fuck was involved in bashing Zabini? Huh? You know I will find out so you better just fuckin come forward now or else there will be hell to pay later. No come to think of it, there'll be hell to pay now. It will just be a lot fuckin worse later, okay?"

--

Hermione couldn't understand why Ron was doing this. First he told the whole school that she and Draco had slept together and now he told everyone that his own sister was pregnant to Blaise Zabini? What the hell was wrong with him? He nearly got his own sister bashed which could've made her lose her baby, and Ron's future niece or nephew.

"Hey, Gin? You wanna stay up here with me for the night?" Hermione asked, hoping that Ginny would say yes. She didn't want to leave Ginny alone or let her go back to her dorms. She knew the Gryffindor's wouldn't hurt her, especially with Harry around, but she just wouldn't risk it. She didn't know what else Ron would or could do in this frame of mind.

"Yeah, thanks 'Mione. That would be great."

"You can bunk with me in my bed, if you want."

"Yeah, that'd be cool... Just like old times," Ginny gave a weak smile. She was remembering the days when Hermione used to stay at her house. She was remembering when life wasn't complicated. When she wasn't pregnant, or even sexually involved with anyone.

"Yeah, I miss that." Hermione said and she really meant it too. She loved spending time with Ginny, she was always so much fun. "Well, Gin, lets get to bed. We don't wanna stress this baby out!"

"Yeah, you're right. But, hey, where will Draco sleep?"

"He's got a bed? We don't share a bed you know. Not yet anyway. We only slept together once," Ginny gave her a weird look and raised her eyebrows, "Not in my bed!" Hermione threw a small pillow at her and Ginny smiled. Her first genuine smile of the night.

Hermione was glad that she could make Ginny happy. She only wished she could no where Draco was so she could make him feel better, too. She knew all this was hurting him and she could bet that he was probably doing some detective work and arse-kicking in the Slytherin Common room.

Oh how right she was!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thanks to the people that took time to review! Anyway, Santa comes in 2 sleeps! Lol, I'm so excited!

--

Draco had already abused two sixth years for saying that his best friend, Blaise Zabini, bought this whole situation on himself. Their argument had been that if he didn't sleep with the Weasley girl, none of this would've happened. Of course, they didn't say it in those words though, and that's what pissed Draco off even more. He liked Ginny because of her relationships with the two most important people in his life and he didn't like to hear people calling her names or disrespecting her when she wasn't around to defend herself. Draco hated people who did that. They were cowards. That's all they were. He always thought that if you wouldn't say it to someone's face, you shouldn't say it.

After this happened, people started to come forward with information on Blaise's attack and who was involved. It made him sick to find out that it wasn't Pansy or Millicent that had gone after Hermione, it was Crabbe and Goyle. He didn't understand how men could hurt women. It was such an unfair fight. Even though Crabbe and Goyle were not at all bright or smart, they were big guys and could handle themselves in a fight. Ginny was only small and petite –and pregnant- and would barely be able to maintain balance when up against guys as big and strong as Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe.

It was the Malfoy way to abuse women, but Draco would never do that. He saw his Father abuse his Mother and it broke his heart everytime he saw it. When he was 8 he remembered making a promise to himself never to hurt a girl, ever. He knew that he wouldn't break his promise either, he never did. He kept every word that he had ever promised.

Now that Draco had received all the information necessary on who attacked of Blaise, he set off to find them. He had already discovered that none of them were in the Slytherin tower, which led him to believe that they were receiving punishments with either Dumbledore or Snape. Somehow he thought that Dumbledore would have them. If he was the old man, he wouldn't want Snape handing out detentions to his own students, some of which he favored. He was always much to lenient when it came to dishing out detentions to his house.

--

Meanwhile, Hermione was pacing around the heads' common room. It was 11.00pm and Ginny had just dozed off to sleep after being comforted by Harry. She knew that nothing would happen between them, so she left them alone in her bedroom to talk.

Harry had turned up just after Hermione had put Ginny in her bed and the two had gossiped a bit. The knock at the portrait was a surprise. Hermione hoped that it was Draco, she hadn't seen him for hours and missed him heaps. She was also worried about him. What if the other Slytherin's turned on Draco for still supporting Blaise?

"Hermione?" Harry asked, not sure whether or not he should interrupt her chain of thoughts. She was usually very snappy at everyone who interrupted her while she was thinking.

"Yeah, Harry?" Hermione asked. She didn't care that he had interrupted her. She only felt sad when she thought about where Draco could be. She didn't know if he was okay or not and that made her extremely worried.

"Thanks for letting me see her tonight. It really meant a lot to me. We haven't had a lot of time to talk since we broke up so it was good just to have a friendly ol' chat."

"No problems, Harry. The distraction would've been good for her. Thanks for getting her out of that mess earlier as well. I just don't know what Ron's been doing lately. First he sets out to hurt me by telling everyone about Draco and I and our sex life... then he tells everyone his sister is pregnant by a Slytherin? Of course that's going to cause shit! Doesn't he think?"

"To be honest, 'Mione, I don't know what the hell he's been up to lately. I think he's hurt that you moved on so fast. When he broke up with you he kept telling everyone how hurt you looked and how you were so in love with him. He's probably embarrassed that you're with Draco now and everyone's talking about it." Harry avoided her eyes as he continued, "I'm really sorry that I wasn't there for you when he broke up with you. If you were as hurt as he said you were, you would've needed all the support you get. I know how it feels when someone you love so much leaves you for someone else."

Hermione didn't know that Ginny had told Harry the reason she wanted to break up with him. She had only done it because she felt guilty about playing around with Blaise behind Harry's back. She told Hermione that she "didn't want to hurt Harry, but I can't leave Blaise. I just can't." Hermione hoped that was what Ron thought when he was breaking up with her, but even if he tried not to hurt her, he still did. Right now, Harry was the only one who understood what she went through. Even Draco didn't, no matter how many times they talked about it. But then again, Hermione knew that she would never ever understand what Draco must be going through. His dad has just received the Dementors Kiss and his mother is dead because his father killed her – and Draco saw.

"But at least Ginny did it because she didn't want to hurt you anymore. I think Ron just did it to me because he didn't want to have to keep going behind everyone's back. He could fuck her in the open if everyone knew they were together."

"Believe it or not, 'Mione, he did care about you and he did love you, probably still does..."

"I do believe that. I also believe that he didn't care about me enough not to do something like that. That isn't love. That isn't caring about somebody. It's ruthless and it's cowardly. Of course I was going to be hurt. Of course I was going to be upset. I thought he loved me. I thought he cared. But he didn't love me enough and he didn't care about me enough not to do it! About him still loving me, I don't give a fuck anymore. I don't care if I never see him again!"

"I don't blame you about that, but I can't live without seeing Ginny. I know that someday, I'll find someone I love and care about more than I do her, but until that day, I can't think about anyone else."

--

Draco was walking with a purpose towards the office of Professor Dumbledore. He was out for revenge and he didn't care what anyone said. He was going to make everyone that was responsible for Blaise's injury, feel as bad as everyone affected put together. He wanted them to feel the pain that Ginny was feeling. He was going to dish out punishment of his own as he knew Dumbledore would let most off with a warning for a first-time offence.

He said the password _'sugar glider'_ and made his way up to the door of the office where Dumbledore welcomed him in.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, I wondered when I would be seeing you."

Draco ignored the comment of his headmaster and instead lunged towards the body of Travis Flint, sixth year and younger brother of Marcus Flint. Travis' name had come up during Draco's examination of the Slytherin's. Apparently he delivered the blow to the head which was one of the main causes of Blaise's amnesia.

His lunge made all the other Slytherin males around them jump back out of fear of what Draco might do to them. They were all still scared of Draco, regardless of the fact his girlfriend was a Gryffindor muggle-born. They wouldn't dare to turn on Draco, even though he was now an orphan, the consequences of aligning themselves against Draco still proved to be to severe.

Draco started laying into Travis as soon as their bodies hit the floor. He wanted to cause this bitch as much pain as he could. Blaise was his best friend and they were both finally happy with themselves and their lives right now and someone always had to ruin that. Now Blaise would probably never ever know that the baby Ginny is carrying is his. He will just know that some woman, named Ginny, is claiming that before he got amnesia, they were together and he got her pregnant. And unless the team at St. Mungo's can get his memory back, he will forever only live with memories from this day forward and never remember how he fell in love with Ginny.

By this time, Travis' nose had started to bleed and he was sporting several cuts along the side of his head. He was quite enjoying torturing Travis but Draco was actually quite surprised that Dumbledore hadn't stopped him yet. He spoke too soon though. No sooner had he thought those words than he had been pulled off of Travis with such a force that for a second Draco had to double-check that it was Dumbledore who had dragged him off Travis.

After the boys were dismissed from Dumbledore's office, Draco had to stay behind and endure 20 minutes of lecturing from the Headmaster on how he shouldn't take matters into his own hands no matter how much he wants to because it will only complicate and make things worse. Draco hardly listened to a word he said anyway, instead he sat there pretending he was listening when in reality he was actually thinking about his next target of revenge.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: SO we left off with Draco in Dumbledore's office.

--

Draco was running back to the heads' common room after finally being dismissed by the headmaster and had just neared his portrait when he literally ran into 'The Boy Who Lived.'

"Oh, hey. Sorry, Potter." He said, offering a steady hand to pull the fallen Harry up off of the floor.

"Nah, don't worry about it. What were you doing running, anyway?" Harry immediately regretted asking this question, as he feared a tongue-lashing as a response from Draco. He knew that Draco didn't like anyone, no matter how important or famous they were, butting into his business. But Harry did not have to fear a tongue-lashing, as no such thing came from Draco's mouth.

"I was on my way to see Hermione. I haven't seen her since 8pm and what is it now?" he looked down at his watch, surprised at the time. "Shit! It's 12.30, I didn't even tell her where I was going. What were you doing in our common room anyway?" he asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I went to see Ginny." Harry knew that this was the wrong answer. He also knew that Draco would immediately think the worst. "Don't worry, there's nothing going on between us. No, that is way over." Harry saw Draco breathe a sigh of relief and relax into Harry's companionship once more.

"That's good to hear. How's she doin'?" he asked. He was genuinely concerned about Ginny. Afterall, she was carrying his best friends' baby and he now took it upon himself to be responsible for the young lady while Blaise was out of action.

"She's okay. She's still crying quite a bit, but she's getting better. She's trying to stay calm for the baby, but god knows she wants to scream and just cry her little heart out. It's killing me to see her this way. Well, I better go. I gotta see Ron and ask him why the fuck he's doing this to everyone. See ya 'round."

Harry started to walk off when Draco suddenly called over his shoulder, "Hey, Potter!"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks... for tonight," Draco said. Harry was surprised... what was Draco thanking him for?

"You know...? Helping Ginny? Thanks for that. I know Blaise would be grateful too, you know, if he was in his right frame of mind."

"Oh, yeah. No problem! See ya." And Harry turned once again, rounded the corner and was gone.

--

Hermione was going crazy. She had just helped Ginny back into a peaceful sleep after she woke up screaming and crying about Blaise, which was expected considering her situation. Hermione wanted to protect Ginny from everyone and she didn't want to let her out of her sight for the next seven and ½ months of her pregnancy. She wanted her friend to get through this, just like she wanted Blaise to somehow regain his memory so they could be a happy little family –just like Ginny and Blaise were a happy couple.

Another reason for her going crazy was the fact that she hadn't seen Draco in over four hours and she didn't know whether he was hurt or safe or even in the castle. He never told her where he was going when he stormed off a few hours earlier. What she did know was that he was going somewhere to get revenge; it was such a Draco thing to do.

Even though neither of the two would ever admit, or even acknowledge the fact, Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter had a lot in common. They both loved to save their friends and the world if the situation ever arose. They both defended their families to the ground when in public. And, secretly, they both loved all the attention they got from the ladies whether or not they were in a relationship already.

'For two people who hate each other so much,' she thought, 'they sure as hell have an awful lot in common.'

She missed Draco so much when she wasn't around him. She didn't know how this was possible though. They had only just started to be civil to one another before the relationship blossomed into a romantic one. She thought that maybe she was beginning to start to love him, but dismissed that thought. It took her ages to love Ron, how could she love Draco so fast? It had only been a few days; an eventful few days at that.

She was checking up on Ginny when she thought she heard the portrait creak open. She practically ran down the stairs to see if it was him. It was HIM and she ran to him and threw herself into her lovers' arms.

"Hey baby!" Draco said into his girlfriends' ear. He knew she was worried; she looked it. She also looked very tired and he knew she wouldn't sleep very well knowing that one of her friends' was upset and would probably have a disturbing night. He loved the way she had always cared about her friends so much; especially Ginny. He had watched her for the past few years, always fussing over Ginny like a big sister. In his opinion, nobody ever respected or cared for their friends as much as Hermione.

"You tired?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Of course she was going to say she was, all you had to do was look into her face, and eyes, and see just how tired she really was. Hermione nodded a yes in reply to her boyfriends question and he tenderly placed a soft kiss on Hermione's lips.

She instantly melted into the kiss and her tiredness was suddenly forgotten and replaced with a want; a need; a craving. That craving was Draco Malfoy and she felt that if she didn't have him tonight, she would explode. Afterall, they never made it to the main course earlier, only the appetizer as Snape walked in and told them of Blaise's bashing.

--

Hermione woke the next morning with a small, mischievous smile on her face. She had gotten a good sleep that night, well she got the good sleep after her and Draco had a little work out of their own. Her smile grew as she thought of the previous nights actions; their intense lovemaking drove her wild as she replayed it in her mind. She rolled over, hoping that Draco was ready for the next round only to find that he was still sleeping deeply and that their was a dazed-looking redhead standing at the door to Draco's bedroom.

"Hey, good sleep?" Ginny asked, obviously amused with the sight in front of her. Hermione couldn't believe it! Ginny obviously knew what she had done and this embarrassed her more than anything did.

Hermione had never been comfortable with her friends knowing too many details about what she did with her boyfriends. Ginny had always known the details so that didn't worry Hermione, but what did worry her was the fact that she had just been caught sleeping naked next to an also naked Draco.

Hermione blushed before answering, "yeah, it was great. Hey, Gin, can you give me 2 minutes? I'll be down in a sec."

"Yeah, put your clothes back on you dirty little hussy!" Ginny said playfully. She knew that Hermione was already embarrassed and a little teasing from her best friend would only increase the beetroot-look that Hermione's face had going on.

--

Draco woke up, hoping to roll over and find Hermione ready for the next round of wild sex; like last night. But he rolled over and didn't find Hermione at all!

'Shit, she must already be up! Well, there goes a missed chance...' he thought to himself. He could hear laughter coming from downstairs and remembered that Hermione had let Ginny sleep in her bed last night.

'I'm glad she seems to be in a better mood,' he thought, genuinely pleased that his best mates' pregnant girlfriend sounded a little happier than she had the previous night.

Draco pulled on his boxer shorts and some black trackies and headed downstairs. He found the two girls obviously gossiping about other girls in the school while drinking a hot chocolate each.

"Hey beautiful," he said to Hermione, bending down to kiss her on the cheek. Ginny looked away uncomfortably and this didn't go un-noticed by Hermione.

"So, Draco... how was your sleep?" Ginny asked, slightly smiling at the look that had appeared on Draco's face. Draco suddenly realised that Hermione would've told her everything that had happened between them in the past few nights... he suddenly felt intimidated.

"What if Hermione's told her I'm bad?' he thought. He knew that no woman would ever say that about his performance in the bedroom – he knew he was good. He could make the most experienced woman in the world squeal with delight over and over no matter how many men she had bedded before him.

"It was great, thanks." He said, dodging Ginny's unmistakable real question of, 'have fun last night?' he wasn't stupid. She only asked about his sleep because she knew that he and Hermione had slept together that night. "So, ladies... what's planned for the day?" he asked. He knew that they had classes, but he knew that classes would be the last thing on anyone's mind after what had happened last night with Blaise.

"Well, I have classes all day. No free periods for me..." that was Hermione's response obviously.

'That girl never gives a second thought to her school work, now does she?' Draco thought to himself. He didn't know whether it was selfish of Hermione to not want to skip class and be with Blaise's girlfriend who was her best friend. Or even to be with Blaise's best friend who also doubled as her boyfriend. But he understood that Hermione wanted to prove herself to everyone that she could be whatever she wanted – despite the fact that she was a muggleborn.

"What about you, Ms. Weasley?" he asked. He had been tempted to call her Mrs. Zabini, but decided against it. 'It might upset her,' he thought.

"I'm going home," she said. "Hogwarts' just has too many memories here."

This took Draco by surprise. He thought she was doing okay this morning. That was the last thing he had expected Ginny to say.

"Yeah, Mum is coming to get me in a couple of hours. Hermione helped me to decide that it's probably the best thing for me right now. School could be just too stressful and I don't want to lose this baby. It's the last thing I have to remind me of Blaise."

--

Sure enough, later on that day Mrs. Weasley arrived at the school ready to take her daughter back home to help her nurse her broken heart.

Ginny had told Draco and Hermione everything; from how she felt when she and Blaise first kissed to the intimate conversations about their baby. Draco had discovered just how sensitive and warm-hearted that Blaise could be. It was a side of Blaise that he had never seen nor heard of. It made him proud to think that he was making someone feel this way because from the way Ginny had described everything, Blaise had meant the world to her and he obviously still does.

Hermione couldn't even hold back her tears for the sake of Ginny. They both cried together, in each others' arms. It broke Hermione's heart to see her best friend suffering like she was. No one deserved this, especially Ginny. Hermione just hoped that everything would turn out okay because she didn't know if she would be able to live through this if it was her in Ginny's position.

'Imagine loving someone so much and them meaning the world to you,' Hermione thought, 'then in a split second, it all be taken away and he can't even remember who you are, let alone the fact that you're both in love with each other and expecting a baby.'


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Okay Ginny is back at home with her family. And now it's getting close to Christmas. Nothing eventful has happened since Ginny left. Just their normal classes.

Hey, when I'm done with this story, I'm thinking about doing a Ginny and Blaise one, to let you know what they're going through throughout this? What do you guys think?

--

Uneventful days, weeks and, eventually, months passed and everyday Draco would hope for some news of Blaise's recovery. But that never happened, Ginny did keep them updated though. She visited the hospital every two or three days, even though she wished it were more, and she sat by his beside just waiting for him to return to his normal self as he slipped in and out of consciousness.

Everytime he did this, he remembered fragments of his life. He remembered Draco, and his parents but still did not remember anything of his life and relationship with Ginny, who's belly was beginning to develop a small bump due to her growing baby.

One day, when Hermione was seated at the desk in her common room, revising her arithmancy work in preparation for her upcoming test when a familiar looking bird dropped a letter in front of her.

"Pig," she gasped, recognizing the Weasley's family owl.

--

_Dear Hermione,_

_I am writing this letter to you from Blaise's bedside where he is asking me to find Draco! He is doing very well at the moment. The doctor says that whenever he slips out of consciousness and then regains it, he is remembering something new. He has remembered a few things, like Draco, but doesn't remember how we, Blaise and I, used to be. Or the baby. _

_When he is awake, we talk for hours. I try to fill him in on all I know about his life but I haven't the heart to tell him about us and our baby. I hope he remembers for himself. If he doesn't remember me from the past, I hope he can remember me from now and for the rest of his life. _

_Love, Ginny._

_P.S – tell Draco that Blaise is expecting a visit from his best friend._

--

Hermione stopped what she was doing and went to find Draco. She knew that this was a piece of the news that he had been waiting for! Finally, after being in St. Mungo's for close to two months, he was beginning to remember his life.

--

Draco was sitting in the library, trying to devise a new Quidditch training program but everything was too much for him. The Slytherin team had suffered 2 great losses on his behalf as his heart just wasn't in his performance. Blaise was what had him distracted.

Draco had always considered himself a strong person, and not the type who would fall apart if someone from his life dramatically changed, like Blaise had.

'I was okay when mum died, and fine when Dad had his soul sucked out...'

And then he realised, Blaise was the only person ever in his life, aside from Hermione, who had ever genuinely showed that they cared about him. Blaise truly understood Draco and never judged him on what he did, who he was and where he came from. Infact, Blaise was the only person in this world that Draco could rely on, and right now Blaise didn't even know that Draco existed.

--

Hermione searched the castle high and low and did not find Draco. She eventually called on Harry for use of his 'Marauders Map' and located Draco in the –

"Library?" Hermione blurted out, causing several people in the Gryffindor common room to stop and stare at her. 'What would he be doing in the library?' she wondered to herself as the stares died down.

--

The two practically collided at the entrance to the library. Hermione was on her way in, whereas Draco was coming out.

"Oh, thank god! Draco, look!" Hermione held out the letter from Ginny.

Draco scanned the letter, not really interested in what it had to say... Until he came across a part that caught his eye.

'_P.S – tell Draco that Blaise is expecting a visit from his best friend._'

He re-read that line at least 10 times in his mind before taking the letter from an obviously pleased Hermione and reading it thoroughly top to bottom.

"So does this mean?" he asked, knowing Hermione would know what he was getting at.

"Yep! He remembers you!" she said into Draco's ears as he wrapped his toned physique around her body in a tight embrace. Hermione loved seeing Draco happy again. The only time he ever showed any emotion that wasn't over a depressed or upset manner was when he was alone with her, and that wasn't good enough for Hermione.

She watched his appearance alter dramatically in the two months that Blaise had been in and out of comas. He had become a lot more paler, his face more pointed than ever before and he had lost a bit of weight from his perfect body. Even with his current physical appearance on a downer, he was still the best looking male at Hogwarts clearing Harry by miles. If Blaise were still at school he would be a top contender as well but no one could ever measure up to the chisselled good looks that Draco Malfoy had.

'I'm such a biased girlfriend,' Hermione thought to herself, chuckling.

--

Hermione and Draco awoke a week later, packed and ready to head to the train station. The two were going to spend Christmas with Hermione's family, then move onto Draco's newly-inherited mansion for some time alone. During their stay at the Malfoy Mannor, the two had plans to visit Blaise in hospital. In fact, that's the first place that they were headed after they settled into Hermione's house. She hoped her mother wouldn't mind them running off just after they had arrived.

She had already told her parents of their relationship in a letter. Hermione's mother wasn't surprised, she had noticed the sparks between the two just before school started. Hermione's father, on the other hand, couldn't believe that his daughter had taken up with someone that had teased her practically her whole schooling life. But he accepted it nonetheless.

If it made Hermione happy, Mr. Granger said that he would accept his daughters decision. Hermione personally thought that her dad was just saying this to be the 'protective-father' type and that once he got to know Draco, he would treat him like the son he never had.

--

Hermione ran to her parents the minute she saw them when she jumped off of the train. She always missed her parents and was always so excited to see them at the beginning of Christmas.

"Mum!" Hermione gushed, running towards her mother and pulling her into a tight hug. Draco watched this, wishing that he had've been affectionate towards his mother when she was alive. As a Malfoy, he was bought up never to show affection towards anyone; that changed with Hermione, he loved being with her and kissing her. But he regretted never hugging his mother, or giving her a kiss on the cheek before bed.

'I wish you were still here, mum,' Draco thought to himself as he walked towards an elated Hermione, who was frantically waving at him to come to her.

"Mum, you know Draco. Dad this is Draco Malfoy, my boyfriend." Hermione said, her voice never faltered despite how nervous she was on the inside about introducing her father to her boyfriend. She had always dreaded this moment. She never introduced Viktor to her parents because she didn't consider their relationship 'serious' enough.

'Or it could've been because he was always travelling for Quidditch,' she thought.

She had also avoided introducing Ron to her parents as her boyfriend because they already knew Ron. They had known him for years before the two started going out. But now she was introducing Draco, who was once her biggest enemy, to her parents and she didn't know what her father would say.

"Well, hello Draco," her father said in a polite, but firm, voice before he cleared his throat with a loud noise and offered his hand for Draco to shake.

Hermione just prayed that he didn't go into one of his lectures about safe sex, or toothcare, or how he would go after Draco if he hurt Hermione. He had playfully given Ron the latter lecture and had him frightened out of his wits before letting him know it was only a joke.

'Please dad, don't embarrass me.' Hermione thought, repeating the statement in her head.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Granger," Draco said before he was pulled in for a manly hug by Hermione's father, this caused Hermione's mother to break out into a quiet laughter.

--

As the four walked towards the family car, the two women walking ahead of course, Hermione and her mother quietly spoke of the embrace Hermione's father had shared with Draco.

"Well, honey, we had a long talk and he promised he wouldn't do, or say, anything stupid for your sake. He wants to give Draco another chance and, by the looks of things, he liked his teeth."

"What?" Hermione laughed, looking at her mother who's natural beauty was highlighted by the suns rays. Hermione could see a bit of herself in her mothers face, she now felt complimented when she remembered all the people who said that she looked just like her mother.

"You're father said if his teeth are right, he'll give him a hug. We all know how he is with teeth."

"Oh, no way!" Hermione giggled. She should've known, he had done that when he had met Harry and Ron, approving of their bright white, straight teeth.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Hermione has taken Draco home for the first week of their Christmas holidays. Lets see how it all goes down!

--

After Draco and Hermione had carried their belongings up to her 'princess' style bedroom, the two lied down on the bed, exhausted, after carrying all those bags up a flight of stairs.

Hermione's parents agreed to let Draco stay in Hermione's room; in her own bed, in fact. They were pretty easy-going when it came to Hermione and letting her boyfriends stay over. They knew she was responsible, so they pretty much let her do her own thing when it came to her and her boyfriends.

Hermione rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows.

"So, when do you want to go and see Blaise?" she asked. She thought that there was a good chance that Ginny would be by Blaise's side and she desperately wanted to see her best friend. She hadn't seen her in a while.

"Oh, baby please!" Draco said, sounding genuinely surprised that Hermione would bring up such a thing.

"I'm all alone, with my girlfriend, in her bedroom, on her bed and her parents are downstairs. You think that I would pass up this opportunity?" he asked.

"Babe, it'll be like this for the next two weeks!" she said. She too thought this was a good time to exercise their love, and their bodies but she also wanted to see Ginny. And she knew Draco wanted to see Blaise.

She thought she'd be able to handle the temptation, but when Draco looked up at her with those big sad puppy dog eyes, she knew she couldn't resist. Actually that never happened, what happened was that this was Hermione, with Draco. As if she could resist him no matter what eyes he did.

Hermione pulled herself up on top of Draco, and they started kissing. Hermione loved it when they had serious make-out sessions. She loved feeling their bodies upon one another. The friction between their two bodies just made her want him more and it got her heart racing. When their lips met, she never wanted them to part. She was facinated at how his lips could be so strong and powerful, yet feel so soft and sweet. It was those types of kisses that she longed for; it was this type of kiss that she longed and was now receiving.

--

When Draco felt Hermione's body gently lower onto his, he knew he had won. He didn't want to go to the hospital to see Blaise yet, he wanted to have a little fun with his girlfriend now so that when he saw Blaise he would be relaxed and calm, having been very excited beforehand.

Kissing Hermione was different to the other girls he had kissed. Every little thing that happened between him meant something a little more to him than it would've if was a girl other than Hermione.

He loved the feeling of her body upon his. Every curve she had, the softness of every little bit of skin that was revealed during the moment of their bodies. Especially the small of her back, god how he loved that. He also loved the feeling of her hands roaming his body. He knew every inch of hers and he knew that as she became more comfortable with her body and her sexuality, she would soon discover and remember every inch of his.

--

Slowly, one-by-one, their clothes were removed. What started out as a hot-and-heavy lead-up to sex, became a passionate lovemaking session with nothing spared on the foreplay.

She didn't know whether it was because she was in her own bed now or what, but to her, this was the best sex she had ever had with Draco. Everything seemed to go right...

And the feeling when Draco first slipped himself inside of her was indescribable. As well as making a few marks on Draco's back, she had to muffle her scream with a pillow or else she knew her parents would've heard her, despite them being downstairs on the other side of the house.

--

The two cleaned themselves up a little bit before heading to St. Mungos; they would've been quite a sight if they had of wandered down with hair like they had and Hermione's make up a mess.

--

They walked into Blaise's private hospital room expecting to find it dead-silent and Blaise lying in a bed, hanging on to dear life but that was not what they got.

Instead, they found Ginny and Blaise playing a muggle x-box and laughing over the fact that Ginny was winning the race.

"Hey Draco!" Blaise shouted when he caught sight of his best buddy, "Did ya know I'm gonna be a daddy?" he asked, looking excited but skeptical at the same time.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Ginny as if to say, 'he remembered?'

--

While Draco and Blaise chatted away at the same time as playing video games on the X-Box, Hermione and Ginny had a chance to talk.

"He remembered?" Hermione asked, wondering why Ginny hadn't written a letter to let her know of this development.

"No," Ginny said sadly, putting her head into her hands. "His mum told him, last night. I wasn't here but when I got here this morning he said he knew everything. I got excited 'cause I thought he remembered everything, but then he told me his mother told him."

"Well at least he knows now. He can't forget about it and he knows you now. He knows what you guys had, give it some time. He'll come 'round." Hermione told her best friend soothingly.

"I just want him to remember so bad, 'Mione!" Ginny said, letting a few tears escape from her beautiful green eyes.

"I know ya do, Gin. I know ya do." Hermione whispered into Ginny's ear as she pulled her in for a tight hug. It looked as though Ginny needed one. "But he looks happy about knowing he's going to be a dad," Hermione said, changing the subject. She didn't want to put Ginny back into a state of depression, she had just started to get happy about Blaise and their refreshed friendship.

"Yeah, he does. I guess some things didn't change. I mean, I still love him, I'm still carrying his baby and he still really wants it," she said. Her voice was beginning to regain its usual perky tone, unlike the tone it had formed in the previous conversation.

"What about you? You still want it, right?" she asked. She knew that there was no way Ginny would ever give up her baby but she wanted to know how she felt. Before she was excited about the prospect of welcoming a child that she and Blaise created together into the world, now Hermione didn't know what Ginny was thinking.

"Yeah, of course I still want her." Ginny blushed and Hermione smiled.

"It's a girl?" Hermione felt the excitement rise within her. She couldn't wait to help pick out names and baby clothes for the little girl. She also couldn't wait until she got to baby-sit her and dress her in cute little clothes. And then when her hair is long enough, she couldn't wait to play with it.

Hermione had always fantasized about what it would be like to have a daughter. She thought it would be amazing to watch someone else grow and experience the same things that you did while you were growing up. She only hoped that her daughter, or son, would never have to face anyone as evil as Lord Voldemort. She didn't think she would be able to live through another person going through something like that.

"Yeah, one of the nurses here did a test for me the other night, at my 12-week check-up. I'm through the first trimester!" she smiled.

"Have you thought of names yet?" Hermione asked excitedly. She wanted to share some name ideas with her best friend, she thought that she had some pretty good names in her head.

"Hm, yeah, I guess I have," Ginny said. "It hasn't really been much of a priority yet. There's still six months to go... and with everything that's happened with Blaise, I just can't get that excited yet. It's getting better though. We talked about heaps this morning, you know, about the baby and stuff. He likes the name Britney... and Mia." She said.

Hermione smiled. "They're pretty names," she said. She hadn't even thought of those two names, yet now they were at the top of her list for favourites.

--

Hermione and Draco sat in Diagon Alley, eating ice creams. They were talking about what happened to each other while they were visiting Blaise at St. Mungos.

"He said he's scared. He wants to remember Ginny so bad but he can't. He thinks about her all the time and tries to remember things that happened. He said he can remember teasing her for being a Weasley but that's all. He said he wouldn't tell her that, though. He thought it might upset her." Draco told Hermione.

He had enjoyed seeing Blaise and he knew that Hermione loved talking about the baby with Ginny. She seemed awfully clucky when they left the hospital but they both knew that having a baby right now, at this time of their lives, wasn't even an option. For now they had the impending birth of Ginny and Blaise's little one to fulfill Hermione's baby desires and Draco knew that would be enough to satisfy Hermione's needs for a while.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Okay; Draco and Hermione have visited Blaise in hospital and Hermione is over the moon knowing that her best friend, Ginny, is having a baby girl.

--

Draco and Hermione awoke around 10am on Christmas day after having a late night on Christmas Eve.

True to his word, Draco had spent all of Christmas Eve spoiling his girlfriend with gifts which included jewellery, clothes, some expensive spell books and a beautiful lunch at an exquisite restaurant in Paris.

As Hermione thought of the previous days' events, she thanked the lord that she was a witch and that she could floo. Otherwise she and Draco would not have had such a beautiful lunch and shopping spree in Paris where they spent a very small, but still large, amount of the Malfoy fortune of which Draco inherited.

She rolled over to face Draco to find that he was already awake and looking into her chestnut brown eyes.

"Hey baby!" he said, "Sleep well?"

"Mm hm," Hermione nodded as she leaned in to kiss her beau on the lips. "Merry Christmas!" she said.

"Merry Christmas, babe." was his reply. "Do you want your present now? Or later?" he asked.

"Ummmm, later! Save the best for last!" Hermione said cheerfully as she bounced out of bed and into her private bathroom where she brushed her teeth and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She grabbed a tissue to wipe the smudged eyeliner from last night away from her eyes and it was then that she felt her boyfriend snake his arms around her waist and pull her towards his near-naked body.

She could feel his 'package' against the small of her back and was thankful that he had his black silk boxers on to cover what she knew she would be tempted to play with if she saw it.

Draco began to kiss her neck and nibble on the lobe of her ear, and Hermione pushed him away – playfully, of course.

"Baby not now! It's Christmas! Lets go downstairs and see what we got!"

"What's to see? I'm here! You got me for Christmas and the rest of your life, gorgeous!"

Hermione giggled. "Well if I have you for the rest of my life, what's the rush in playing with you right this instant?"

"Because I'm so desirable and you know you want me and you can't resist me..."

"Goes to show how much you know doesn't it, Drakie-Poo?" Hermione asked, poking her tongue out. She knew how much he hated that nickname; it was what Pansy always called him.

She knew she had hit a nerve when he released her from his grip; her only option was to run and run fast. She made her move within a split second of his release and she swiftly moved from the bathroom into her bedroom. She was just about to run past her bed when she felt him close behind her. He pushed her softly onto the bed and sat on top of her pelvis, pinning her arms above her head.

"What did you call me?" he asked.

'Oh, shit!' Hermione thought, 'now I'm going to lose this.'

"Drakie-Poo," she whispered, panting and out of breath.

"What did you say?" he asked once again.

"Drakie-Poo," she screamed.

"That's it!" he cried, leaning in and planting a kiss on Hermione's lips. She tried to turn her head away but, like he said, she couldn't resist him. Not for long, anyway.

"Damn, Drake! You always win!" she said, in between kisses.

"I know," he said, "it's because I'm so impossibly good-looking!"

--

The two walked downstairs, in their pajamas, around 45 minutes later. Draco had gotten his own way, once again. Hermione's parents were used to seeing her walking down to breakfast in her tiny, silk boxer shorts and tight-fitting tank-top. They were only just used to seeing the gorgeous man candy that now walked down with her in his white or black wifebeater shirt and his silk black boxers.

Her father tried hard not to watch Hermione with Draco when she was in such skimpy clothes around him. He was quite aware of the fact that his daughter was now nearly of-age but he didn't want to let her go. Seeing her wearing clothes like that, even if they were pajamas, around a teenage boy frightened him. To him she was always Daddy's Little Girl, but now she was growing up – fast – and her father wasn't the only main man in her life anymore.

Mr. Granger never felt this way about Ron because Ron wasn't as mature as Draco was. It was also different because he had known Ron since Hermione was 11; he had only just met Draco.

Don't get him wrong, Mr. Granger liked Draco very much; he cared for him like he would care for a son of his own. In just a few short days, Mr. Granger had come to like Draco a lot; he seemed like the perfect man for his daughter. He still had to remain a little skeptical though, no one could be that perfect, could they?

--

Draco was always slightly uncomfortable around Hermione's father, Graeme. He felt like he was always been watched and like notes were always being taken down about his every action and word.

He knew this wasn't true. It was just a protective father looking out for his daughter. Aside from that, when Hermione wasn't around, Draco and Graeme got on famously; like a father and son. In fact, while Hermione was showering, Draco had heard her mum, Diane make a comment about how well they got along. To which Graeme replied, "he's like the son I never had."

--

Hermione sat down at the breakfast table. Her father always sat at the head of the table on one side, her mother on the opposite and she always sat in the middle. Now Draco was seated opposite her. She liked this arrangement; she could play footsies with him and stare into his eyes and have a normal conversation all over dinner.

She thought this was the best Christmas of all. She was with the 3 people she loved most in this world; 1 of the people she wanted to marry and have children with, the other 2 the people she looked up most to in this world. She also got to show Draco the ropes of a Granger family Christmas.

Over breakfast, Hermione filled Draco in on what they would do for the day.

"Ever since I became a teenager, we always slept in and then got up and had breakfast before we opened our presents. When I was little, we just got up and I would tear into them," she smiled, remembering all of those Christmas' fondly. "Then," she continued, "we have a relaxing day, well not mum and dad, they cook the Christmas dinner. My aunts and uncles and cousins all come over for dinner. You'll get to meet them all!" she said excitedly. Introducing Draco to everyone just made their love feel so much more real to Hermione. No one ever really knew Viktor, only her friends and the only people that knew Ron were her friends and parents.

--

When breakfast was finished, Graeme, Diane, Hermione and Draco all made their way over to the family Christmas tree which was placed in the large, but still warm, family room.

Underneath the trees were a huge bundle of presents; mainly for Hermione, Draco noticed. Draco felt a little out of place with the Granger's. They were such a cosy, loving family. The complete opposite of his own, now torn-apart, family, but somehow he was happy; he felt content.

His mother was dead, his father had no soul and he had no family. But somehow he was happy. Somehow everything was right.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Thank you to my reviewers! Sorry the updates are so long apart but school started back and it's been pretty crazy recently! I've just been visiting my niece in hospital. She's 3 and her appendix burst (while it was still in her body) and she got blood poisoning from it. Luv u lil Brit! Get better baby-girl!

--

Hermione sat on the edge of her bed after a big day of Christmas celebrations, playing with the tiny locket that she had between her fingers. It was beautifully inscripted with the initials, '_D.M S2 HG' _(A/N: S2 is meant to be a love heart!).

'Draco is so sweet.' She thought. Hermione never knew why other girls always made such a big fuss when their boyfriends gave them tiny little heart lockets but now she knew.

It was the most amazing thing anyone had ever done for her. She wondered how a small, valuable little locket could mean more than someone saying 'I love you.' But it was written there, on the locket. It was beautiful. He didn't need to say it, he had had it permanently engraved into a shiny piece of gold and it would never fade. She knew this because she had a feeling that their love would never fade.

--

Draco had been nervous when he had picked out her gift. He knew girls liked chocolates and flowers and romantic, soppy cards but he didn't think that was really Hermione's 'thing.' He wanted to get her something sentimental; something special. He knew he had found the perfect gift for her when he cast his eyes upon the expensive golden locket.

'What the hell? I love the girl!' he thought when he saw the price tag. It wasn't cheap, but he was Draco Malfoy. He had an inheritance of millions and the Malfoy family company. (A/N: yeah I know Lucius worked at the Ministry but be a little imaginative!) Money wasn't a problem.

He knew that just buying the locket wouldn't be enough, so he had '_DM S2 HG'_ engraved into it.

'There,' he thought when he had wrapped it, 'Perfect!' Draco had charmed the insides of the locket to play little video images. Every special moment in their relationship was now recorded inside that locket. When Hermione finally opened the locket up, she would see every little moment that had meant so much to her playing over and over.

--

The two awoke the next morning to the sounds of Hermione's muggle alarm clock. Draco thought it was a cute contraption and enjoyed listening to the songs that it played every morning.

He heard Hermione fiddle with the button on top, obviously trying to press snooze. He had watched her do this for the past few mornings and it was now one of his favourite 'Mione Moments.

He loved to watch her try and hit snooze with her eyes still closed and her head still down on the pillow. The frustration that came upon her face when she couldn't do it was, to him, beautiful. He loved watching her sit-up and practically punch the damn snooze button for the alarm to turn off... then she would always turn to him and smile before planting a kiss on his cheek and saying "Mornin' babe!" After this she would always get up out of the bed and skip to her bathroom, wanting to have a shower.

It amused him of how her mood could change so quickly; from being pissed off thanks to that damn alarm clock to suddenly being all happy to see Draco and skipping off to the shower.

'Females,' he thought with a sigh. He couldn't deny it, he loved the girl but it was females as a whole that he couldn't understand.

--

Hermione was washing her hair with her frangipani-scented conditioner when she heard the glass door of her steamed-up shower open. She turned around, shielding her privates from view with both hands only to find Draco staring back at her with an amused look on his face.

"Don't cover yourself, baby," he said smirking while he moved her hands from her breasts and lower reproductive organ, "you're beautiful," he breathed. Draco moved his face down into her chest and slowly leaving a trail of kisses from her neck all the way down to her belly button.

He didn't just stop at her belly button; he kissed all the way down to her treasure, which up until she met Draco, she had guarded furiously. Hermione didn't even think twice of permitting his fingers entry to her pleasure palace. It was natural now for Hermione to just let Draco roam her body while she relaxed and enjoyed everything he gave her.

The penetration of Draco's fingers made Hermione's heartbeat speed up and made her breathing become faster. She had to steady herself against the wall of her shower as she felt his tongue tickle her clit with a slight circular motion. Even though he wasn't using his tongue with enough force to bring her to orgasm, it still drove Hermione wild.

As Draco continued to unleash maximum pleasure throughout Hermione's body, she couldn't help but wonder why she had been so blind to all of this while she was with Viktor and Ron. Viktor was gorgeous, she had to admit it, but she never really felt that comfortable around him. Sure, she was comfortable to some level, but never like she was with Draco.

"Ohh, yes... right there, babe, right there." Hermione moaned, making Draco aware of the fact that he was in the right spot right now and that he should continue with what he was doing.

'With Ron everything would be so awkward," she thought. It always was. Things with Ron could never just run smoothly and comfortably.

'Ron would always - Ohh Draco! – stuff everything up!" she said in between moans.

--

Draco loved pleasing his lady. It didn't matter if she didn't go down on him in return, he just loved hearing the excitement in her moans and the looks of pleasure on her face and to him, that made it all worth while. But when she did go down on him in return; he did not hold back.

He loved the way she worked her tongue. It was like she knew right where to hit the spot. To him, she was so skilled and brilliant at this. When it came to Hermione's opinion, she considered herself a beginner and said that she was "still learning."

Draco thought that for a learner, she did a damn fine job. She could also make him cum in record time but today that wasn't the case. He always told her before he was about to 'blow his load' and this time was no different. He told her and he expected her to finish the job off splendidly like she always did, but she didn't. Instead, she stood up and put her index finger around one of the light blond curls that had formed on his chiselled chest and said,

"Take me, Draco. Here. Now." She said it as seductively as Hermione Granger could and that was all Draco needed to hear. Within seconds he had Hermione up against the wet, tiled wall with her legs wrapped around his waist and his member planted deep inside of her. Both were near to climax and it didn't take long for the two to reach their peaks.

--

As they stood just near the Grangers family fireplace, ready to floo to the Malfoy Manor, one thing caught Draco's eye. The love that Hermione's parents had for her. He had watched the happy little family fuss over one another the whole time he had been there but it was only when it came to them saying their goodbyes that he noticed how much they meant to each other.

Mr. And Mrs. Granger now considered Draco to be a big part of the family. They had welcomed him into their home twice now and they lovingly accepted and approved of him as Hermione's boyfriend. In fact, Mrs. Granger would love nothing more than to plan a wedding for the two but Mr. Granger would here no such thing.

"Maybe when they're older," he had said. "They're far too young."

--

Hermione was amazed when she arrived at the Malfoy Manor.

"So this is why you were so arrogant when you started school?" she teased.

"Well if you had all of this wouldn't you be?" he questioned back.

"Ah, but you're forgetting baby, I do have all of this!" she replied, temporarily out-witting Draco. Well actually it wasn't' really temporary because all Draco could do was a kiss on the lips to which Hermione quickly pulled away.

"Ahh, "she cried, "no comeback. The famous Draco Malfoy is defeated!"


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Hey my niece is out of hospital finally! Yay! She has lost so much weight! She has a tiny lil bum now! It's so funny! But in other lil people news; my next door neighbours baby died of cot-death the other day. Her name was Mia and she was 8 days old! She was the cutest lil baby tho! I'm gonna miss her! But my sisters' baby is due in 3 months! So excited. I'm gonna be an auntie of 5 when he's born... it's apparently a boy. They said that about Britney too but she came out with girls parts even though the pointed out her boy-part in the ultrasound... hmmm strange!

--

The week at Malfoy Manor had flown by pretty quickly and Hermione spent most of her days wandering around the large manor just discovering things. She had found adorable photographs of the Malfoy's in much happier times and also seen baby photos of Draco. She didn't tell him though; she feared he would burn them if he knew that she had found them in the house.

When Hermione wasn't looking around her boyfriend's home, she was at the hospital with Draco and Ginny. When she wasn't doing that, she was eating, sleeping or showering. She and Draco had spent a lot of time with Blaise, who over time was slowly regaining his memory. He had laughed many times during their visits especially when Draco would reminisce about times of old or when he would feel his baby kick in Ginny's stomach. He found it amusing when the baby did this; he would always poke the baby back each time it did this. He liked to see how many times it would kick back for as long as he poked it.

Ginny was becoming happier as each day progressed. Apparently Blaise had told her that if it was true that he did used to love her, he could see why and that he was falling in love with her all over again. He also told her he couldn't wait for their baby to be born.

--

To Hermione, it seemed like they'd been back at school for years when in reality it had only been 2 months. The months that they had been counting down, were now only a matter of weeks before Ginny was due to give birth.

Classes had been going well and it despite her life outside of schoolwork progressing slowly, school had never flown by more.

She had always been a diligent worker but lately it seemed that all she ever did was her homework or study for her final exams to be taken in only a matter of months.

Of course, she was the only one who was studying for exams that she knew of. Usually people would come to her for help when they began preparing and studying for an exam or major test but so far no one had come to her. Draco hadn't began preparation yet, he was far too busy with his homework and running his newly-inherited family business.

"What an idiot," she thought when she began to think of Draco taking over the Malfoy business instead of selling it. She had to admit, he did work hard and long into the night but why he refused to let someone else be the head of the business while he was still at school was beyond her. She didn't know how he was going to cope when exams came around.

Draco had signed all the papers necessary for him to successful inherit and run his fathers business. This had surprised Hermione. She didn't think it was something he would take on. She thought that he would sell it... but that was never part of Draco's plan.

--

"Hermione, this is what my family wanted me to do." He told her, rubbing his hands across the back of his neck. 'Why doesn't she understand?'

Draco had thought that Hermione, of all people, would understand why he wanted to take control of the Malfoy business. He knew that even if he didn't, the money he would inherit and the profit he would make from selling the business would more than set him up for the rest of his life. He had considered selling the business but he didn't want to just have the freedom to do what he wanted when he wanted.

If there was anything he had learnt from his father, it was to work – and work hard at that. His father was always working, and look what he had to show for it. Sure, he may have had his soul sucked out, but he had had the best of everything.

Draco had also never seen the fun in lazing about the house, all day, every day. He knew his mother was depressed and that's all she ever did. Well, laze about the house and shop. But he never once saw her happy as he grew up. He knew that money didn't guarantee happiness, his family was a prime example of that, but yet it was something he wanted. He craved money and power but unlike his father, he also craved love and the need to be nurtured.

This is what made him different from his father, he just wished that more people could see that. He knew that the majority of people out there that knew him thought he was a mini-Lucius but he was determined to prove them wrong.

How was he going to do that?

"Hermione, don't you see? I want everything my father had professionally – excluding his work with the Dark Lord. But everything he had is what I strive for... I want to go further than him professionally as well. I want to expand, broaden this business. But aside from that, I want to be happy. I want a family; a real family. One with love; one like I never had."

"I need you with me to help me get that, 'Mione. I want to be with you, forever." Hermione raised her eyebrows at him once he had said his last sentence.

"Don't worry I'm not proposing to you," he smirked. Hermione gave a light smile, kissed him on the top of the head and said "Night baby."

'Not yet anyway,' he thought.

--

Hermione stood at the end of a long white corridor. The white tiled floor was spotless aside from the specks of blood that haunted Hermione's mind. As she ventured down the corridor following, but not stepping in, the trails of blood she saw a dark shadow in the distance, towards the end of the corridor. She couldn't make out what it was, the light behind it was far too bright. As she got closer, she discovered that it was a body.

Ignoring the fear that was slowly taking over her body, Hermione broke out into a sprint, not caring if she ran through the blood. All she wanted to do was get to the end of the corridor and help the person that lay there.

She edged closer to the body, making out the eyes, nose, lips, cheeks, figure...

"No," she screamed.

"No! No! No!"

Hermione awoke with a scream.

"Draco, ITS GINNY!"

--

"Wake up, Blaise, honey."

"Hmm? Oh Mrs. Weasley? What's the matter?"

Mrs. Weasley couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

"Blaise, it's Ginny."


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Hey! Sorry it's taken me a couple of months to update! I've been pretty busy... they give you so many projects in year 9! Isn't it just great that I have to present a speech on menstruation to my class. Honestly, the guys in my class giggle like little bitches at stuff like that! Anyway, lets get back onto the story! What's happened to Ginny?

--

Hermione fidgeted once again in her seat. The journey to the hospital felt like it was taking forever and Hermione was becoming more and more agitated by the minute.

"Geez!" she yelled out in frustration, "why couldn't we just floo here?" she asked, just screaming it out, her question directed to no one in particular.

"Baby, the letter said to wait until the morning to see her, anyway." Draco replied, putting his arm around his annoyed girlfriend. "Please, if you can, speed it up," he said to his chauffeur. This put a slight smile on Hermione's young face.

--

'Okay, Blaise. Be calm. Ginny is going to be fine. It's probably not even serious. Just stay calm, breathe,' Blaise thought to himself as Mrs. Weasley lead him up one floor and down past several doors before pushing open large double doors which lead into a white corridor. There were several doors on each side of the corridor and a reception desk. The floor was full of little white tiles that were immaculately clean.

--

"Yes ma'm, may I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes, I'm looking for Ginny Weasley. She's a patient here." Hermione was scared when she had first woken up from her dream but to find a letter on her windowsill from Molly saying that Ginny indeed was in hospital and to come and see here in the morning shook her up even more.

"Ginny is on the 4th floor, West side, room 32A."

"Thank you," Draco said and smiled at the receptionist.

--

"Oh my god! Ginny!" Blaise cried out when he saw his girlfriend lying in the hospital bed, lying on her side, her back facing him. Her hair was a mess and pulled back from her face. There was sweat on her face and running down her body. Several towels of blood were been picked up and placed in a bag by a nurse and there was something Ginny was lying next to. Something small.

--

Hermione practically ran up the four flights of stairs towards the west side of the floor and in through the corridor. She stopped out the front of the door 32A where the rest of the Weasleys were standing.

"Hermione, dear," Molly said, "You didn't have to come straight away!"

"But I thought Ginny was hurt or something," Hermione said. She didn't understand why Molly was so relaxed when her daughter was inside a hospital room. "Why aren't you in there?" she asked "Can I go in?"

"We're out here because Blaise is in there with Gin, give 'em a minute or so," Ron said.

Draco noticed Ron when he spoke up and shot him his trademark smirk. It wasn't a mean-spirited smirk though, it was more of a casual greeting. Ron took it as that and gave a slight smirk back. Draco knew what Ron had intended to do but instead of smirking he just kind of twisted his face up. 'Oh well,' Draco thought, 'I guess some people just aren't gifted with the natural ability to smirk.'

--

"Hey Blaise," Ginny said. "Come here, I want you to see something," she gave him a tired smile, which he returned. He was unsure of what he was about to see and he didn't know if he wanted to see it.

As he rounded the end of the hospital bed, he caught a glimpse of what Ginny wanted to show him.

"Oh Gin," he breathed. "I can't believe it!" he smiled as he walked closer to the little bundle Ginny had cradled towards her stomach. "it's beautiful," he said as he reached out to stroke the baby's face.

"She's beautiful," Ginny corrected, "it's a girl," she said, pointing at the little pink mittens that their baby was wearing.

"Oh my god," he whispered. "I can't believe she's here."

"Yeah, neither can I," Ginny said. "She's a little early. 5 weeks early in fact but the doctors said she's gonna be fine." She smiled down at the little baby. "She has your eyes, Blaise."

Blaise looked down at the little baby once again. She was a little beauty alright. She had her mothers hair, but it was only a very fair red and was very thin. Ginny was right, she had Blaise's big brown eyes. Blaise then laughed, "Well she has your nose," he said, brushing the bridge of the baby's noise. "She's adorable," he said.

"Do you want to hold her?" Ginny asked as she sat up straight in her bed. She picked the baby up of the bed and cradled her in her arms. "Here," she said, holding the baby out to Blaise. He took her up on her offer and accepted the baby into his arms.

"Wow," he whispered to himself. This was his little girl and he felt so complete with her in his arms. For the past month it had felt like something was missing. "It's her," he said out loud. "She completes the puzzle," he said as he bent his head down to kiss his daughters forehead.

--

"Well what's going on?" Hermione asked. She really wanted to know. She was an impatient girl. She hated to wait.

"We'll let Ginny tell you," Arthur said, smiling at his daughter's best friend.

"So she's not hurt or anything? She's not in any pain?"

"No, she's fine. You just have to wait a little while."

The door to 32A opened and Hermione gasped as she saw Blaise.

"Oh my!" she said outloud. "No way! Oh my god!" she smiled.

She noticed everyone looking at her.

"Wait," she asked Blaise, "it's yours and Ginny's baby right?" she wondered if she had celebrated to early, she thought she should check to see if it really was their baby.

Blaise nodded.

"Yep, she's our little girl." He smiled.

Hermione was in awe. 'Wow my best friend has just had a baby. My best friend just had a little girl. My best friend is a mum.' She thought to herself.

She felt Draco's hand leave her own as she watched him move forward to pat his best mate on the back.

"Congratulations mate, she's gorgeous," he said, looking down at his best friends beautiful baby girl. 'Wow my best friend has a baby now. My best friend just had a little girl. My best friend is a father now.'

Hermione moved forward to see the little girl.

"Definitely Ginny's nose," she said, examining the beautiful looking newborns features. "Your eyes," she said, looking up at Blaise. "And the trademark Weasley hair," she smirked.

"Ah, Hermione, I see Draco's trademark smirk has rubbed off on you. I wonder if your baby will inherit that little feature to?" Blaise said. Hermione and Draco just smiled at each other, remembering the conversation about children that they had had just a few hours earlier before bed.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Ooh, Ginny had a little girl! And you guys thought it was going to be bad! Come on people! A little optimism please! I'm not that cruel... I just made Hannah out to be a dirty slut but oh well. I never really liked her...

--

"She's beautiful," Hermione told Ginny as she watched her best friend give her newborn daughter a bottle. "I just can't believe she's actually here."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. You don't actually realise how real it is until she arrives!"

The two laughed. "She definitely has arrived! Everyone loves her. Even Draco. She's bought out the softie inside of him."

Ginny smiled, "Actually, 'Mione, I think you did that but you're right. He is a big softie, he'll make a great father someday." Ginny looked at Hermione hopefully. Hermione was never the type of girl to talk about her feelings openly but Ginny knew she had changed.

She was still the Hermione that concentrated on her schoolwork. She was still the Hermione that wanted to get far professionally in her life. She was still the Hermione that wanted to make a difference in peoples lives, even if they were house elves. But she had changed, even if she was still the same to others.

Ginny knew Hermione inside and out enough to know that she wasn't the same person anymore. Since she met Draco she had changed. Since she met Draco, she had changed for the better.

A few moments passed of just Ginny and Hermione oohing and aahing over the new baby girl. Their partners, who were standing at the door, were watching them until Draco cleared his throat and bought everyone back down to Earth.

Hermione glanced up and saw Blaise standing in the doorway, with Draco, staring at his precious newborn.

"Well I think we'll be off. School starts back tomorrow and I'm just taking a slight guess in figuring that you too would like some time alone with the bub before your families come back," Hermione smiled at Blaise and he shot her a grateful look.

Draco shook hands with his best mate to say goodbye, gave Ginny a hug and even kissed the little girl on the forehead. Hermione took a bit longer with her goodbyes, which were mainly spent fussing over the tiny baby.

As Blaise closed the door behind the departing couple, Ginny broke the silence and spoke up.

"It's kind of funny how much love you can have someone you hardly know," she whispered, smiling down at her daughter.

"Yeah, I felt the same thing when I first saw you again," Blaise said in response while walking towards his new family.

--

The car ride back to Malfoy Manor was anything but quiet. Draco sat and listened to Hermione as she went on and on about the baby. Baby Shannae Mia was absolutely beautiful and Draco just knew Hermione was going to spoil her rotten.

"I just can't wait to have one of my own. I know I have so much to before then. You know I have to finish school and get a job and get married but I just can't wait to have one!" she said, her voice screaming excitement.

Draco chuckled. He had never seen Hermione this happy about something that did not involve exam results or their relationship.

"Baby you can have your own child whenever you want, just give me the word and I'll be there. No questions asked."

"Thanks but I still have so much to do. I wonder if Gin will let us look after her for a night if she and Blaise want to go out?"

Draco raised his eyebrow. "What about school?"

"Oh after school. Once we've graduated."

--

Hermione woke up bright and early the next morning, excited to be going back to school that day. She rolled over in the large king sized bed that she and Draco slept in to find that he had already woken up.

She decided to shower, get dressed and pack the rest of her belongings before getting some breakfast so that's exactly what she did.

Her 20 minute shower seemed to last forever as she anxiously counted down the seconds until she was back on the Hogwarts' Express, returning to Hogwarts for her final term at school.

'Wow,' she thought to herself while washing the shampoo from her hair, 'it seems like just yesterday I started at Hogwarts.'

'It's so weird that I'm starting my final term of classes tomorrow. Man, it's crazy.'

--

Draco had decided to get up bright and early that morning. He had planned a special breakfast that he and Hermione could share before they left for Kings Cross Station. He knew it wouldn't be long until she woke up and he was write. He had just got out of bed and started walking down the hallway just outside his bedroom when he heard Hermione roll over in bed and walk into the bathroom.

As he made his way down to the kitchen, a little envelope on the dining room table caught his eye. _'Draco & Hermione' _was written across the front of the envelope and he instantly recognized the handwriting.

'Geez, Blaise. I'm gone for just a few hours and already you feel the need to contact me,' he said to himself.

He carefully opened the envelope, as he always did, and pulled out a small photograph and a letter.

_Hey Draco, hope this letter finds you in good spirits. I know just how much you love going back to school! I'm just messing with ya mate. Good luck, give the Gryffindor's hell!_

-Draco chuckled to himself. 'Even though he has a baby with one, he'll never give up the Gryffindor bashing,' he laughed a little louder. 'Oh what the hell,' he thought, 'neither will I.' He continued reading the letter. -

_I can't believe I'm a father now. I never, in my whole life, dreamed of feeling this complete – even though I'm still missing large portions of my memory._

- Draco laughed once again. Blaise was never the type to show how he really felt and wear his heart on his sleeve. It was typical of him to break the serious notes with a joke. –

_Shannae is the most adorable thing in the world, next to her mother of course. I think everything's gonna be fine. Hey, Malfoy, the Weasley's aren't as bad as we first thought! They won't make bad in-laws._

_Anyway, good luck at school, make me (and the other Slytherins) proud and treat Hermione well. I don't mind that one, she's not a bad catch._

_-Blaise._

Draco smiled. He was happy that Blaise had figured out what's important in life. He was happy that Blaise was happy.

Draco then picked up the photograph that came with the letter. It was of Blaise, Ginny and baby Shannae.

'They all look so happy together,' he thought. He didn't even know that 1-day-old baby's could look happy, but Blaise and Ginny's daughter had managed to.

'I hope 'Mione and I can be like that one day.'

--

Hermione practically bounced down all of the steps of Malfoy Manor. She was so excited to be going back to Hogwarts that she nearly missed a step and fell. But her newly-found grace helped her out, and thankfully, she made it down without injuring herself.

When she had reached the bottom step, she couldn't help but sniff the air.

"Wow!" she said outloud, "that smells great!"

Her first thought was that Draco had had a house elf make them something, or maybe even had bought in a chef. As far as she could remember, the last time Draco could breakfast, it hadn't smelt this great.

--

Draco smiled when he saw the surprised look on his girlfriend's face.

"What's all this?" she asked, standing on her toes to give Draco a good-morning kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, just a little something I cooked for my favourite girl on her first day back to Hogwarts – for the final time, I might add," he smiled.

"Well, thanks baby. I'll have you know it's greatly appreciated," she said, taking a sample of the fabulous-looking scrambled eggs. 'Hey, it's nothing fancy,' she thought, 'but it smells, looks and tastes great.'


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Back to school guys! Lets see how their last term at Hogwarts treats them!

--

"Oh, I hate this!" Draco complained as he and Hermione walked back to\ their dormitory after a double Slytherin/Gryffindor potions class.

"What do you expect?" Hermione asked, "It's our last term, exams are coming up. That means more study, more work, more everything!"

Draco wasn't sure if he was hearing correctly, but he was sure he sensed some excitement in Hermione's voice as she said that last sentence.

"Well if we have to study more, why the need for time-consuming homework?" he asked, to which Hermione had no reply but someone else did.

"Malfoy has a point Hermione, do you have an answer for that?"

The couple turned around to face Ron.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, okay? Can you just forget I said anything?" Ron asked, "please don't say anything to Ginny, she made me swear I would cause trouble for you two."

"Breaking promises to your sister now, are you Weasel? First you cheat on your girlfriend, then you start fights and now your breaking promises to your sister. Where did your parents go wrong with you?" Draco asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Draco, don't," Hermione said, as she nudged her boyfriend in the ribs. She was struggling to contain her laughter though. It wasn't what Draco had said that made her laugh, it had been the way he said it.

"Okay," Hermione said, looking her ex-boyfriend directly in the eye. "We won't tell Ginny anything, but if you put even the slightest sign of your toe over the line again, I'm telling her straight away."

Ron slowly nodded his head, looking truly disappointed in himself and his lack of ability to abide by rules set by females in his life, and sauntered off. As he walked through the crowds of the students who had gathered around to watch the confrontation between them, Hermione pushed Draco in the back and acknowledged him as a 'smartass,' earning a slight laugh from the few people who heard what she had said.

"Get to lunch," Draco yelled to the students standing around them. The few laughs that Hermione had scored for her playful insult had been enough to make Draco flush a slight pink and embarrass him.

--

When they got back to the dormitory, Draco pushed Hermione down onto the couch, telling her that she was going to "Pay for what she did back there."

They then engaged in a long, highly anticipated snog-session. They hadn't just been able to lie around and kiss recently. Their previous sessions had always lead to something else, or sometimes their sessions hadn't even got off the ground before they had to go and do something else.

It was long awaited on both sides and they both made sure they had their lunch hour to themselves as the kissed for the whole hour.

--

Hermione looked in the mirror, checking her image before heading down to Advance Transfiguration. McGonagall wasn't stupid and either were the other students. Her swollen, pink lips were enough to give away what she had been doing during lunch, and the chain of love bites on her neck wouldn't help.

She pointed her wand at her neck and said a concealment charm to cover the purple love bruises that were in the nape, and just above, of her neck.

She didn't realise it, but Draco had watched her do this and she was more than surprised when she felt his smooth arms enclose themselves around her toned waist.

"Well, hello there!" she said, surprised that it seemed he wanted to go for more even though they'd just spent a solid hour kissing.

Draco didn't say hello back but instead seemed rather disappointed with the fact that she had covered up his lovebites.

"What'd you cover them up for?" he asked, appearing truly insulted.

"Well, they don't exactly give off the best impression to teachers, do they? I don't know about you, but I don't want everyone else knowing what I've done all lunchtime."

"I don't really care if they know or not, I just want them to know you're my girl," he said, smirking at her in the mirror.

"Oh they know I'm yours," she said, turning around to face her man, "how could they not? I think everyone knows after everything that happened with Ron last term."

Draco laughed.

"Yeah I guess you're right. But babe, if anyone touches you, lemme know and I'll be on to them so fast that they won't even have time to blink."

"The same for you, gorgeous," she replied, watching his face, for the second time today, go slightly pink as she called him gorgeous. "Do you have Arithmancy now," she asked him.

They used to have Arithmancy together but in seventh year she decided it was time to take all advanced classes, whereas Draco only had a select few advanced classes. He also took Advanced Transfiguration, but with the Hufflepuffs, Hermione was with the Ravenclaws.

--

The first day past with only slight glitches interrupting Hermione's first day back.

"God I love this place!" she shouted, while sitting on a log with Draco near the lake. The two were discussing plans for the New Years Ball, which was to be held in a week. Just a few days after New Years. They were trying to come up with a theme, but so far none had really popped into mind.

"How about the future?" Draco suggested.

"Ooh, that sounds wicked." Hermione smiled.

Draco laughed, "I can't believe you just said wicked. I haven't heard anyone say that for years."

"Shut-up," Hermione said, throwing a scrunched up ball of paper at her boyfriend. "What?" she asked, "stop teasing me!" she screamed, while laughing. Draco was doing imitations of her saying wicked and it was driving Hermione nuts.

"Oh, babe, I forgot to tell you," Draco said, "Blaise sent me a letter yesterday."

"Hmm," Hermione said, obviously waiting for Draco to continue with what he was trying to say.

"He sent me a photo along with the letter..." he continued.

"Yeah, what of?" Hermione asked, still writing furiously about the 'future' themed ball but he could see her raise her perfectly shaped eyebrows as if to question him.

"Oh, you know. Just Blaise, and Ginny," Hermione looked up at him, "and the baby." He finished.

Hermione through another ball of paper at him. "And you didn't show me?" She screamed, "I can't believe you did that! You know how much I'm in love with Shannae!"

"Oh yeah, how much do you want to see it?" he asked teasingly.

"I want to see it really badly!" she exclaimed.

"Oh really, how much do you love me?" he asked, waiting anxiously for her answer.

"I love you so much!" Draco raised his eyebrows.

"How much?" he asked.

Hermione spread her arms out wide as if to show him how much love she had for him.

"I'm sorry babe but that just doesn't cut it," he said, closing his book and standing up.

"Baby I love you around the world and back again and million times," she said breathlessly, jumping up and down trying to catch his attention as he started walking back to the dormitory.

"Stop jumping," he said, "you're making me dizzy, but good answer!" he smiled.

"Well can I see it?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's in my room."

"Well, it's getting late. Can I see it then we can go to bed?"

"Yes, you may." Draco replied. Hermione smiled. He may start the games, but she always wins.

--

When they got back to their dormitory, Hermione practically sprinted into Draco's bedroom, and fair enough, sitting on his bedside table was the photo of Ginny, Blaise and Shannae.

"Oh, it's beautiful." Hermione sighed, while changing into her pyjamas. "I love it. They're adorable." She said while climbing into Draco's bed.

"Yeah, they are aren't they," Draco said, taking one last glance at the photo before turning off the light and falling underneath the sheets and spooning his girlfriend.

Hermione had also taken one last glance at the photo before the lights were turned out. Her last thoughts before she felt Draco's arm wrap around her and her eyes close was that one day, she wished that it was Draco, herself and their baby in that photo.

The exact same thought Draco had everytime he looked at that photo.


	26. Chapter 26

Sorry it's been so long since I last updated! I've been really busy with school... and dancing... and work. Thanks to those who reviewed... I hope everyone likes the story!

--

The plans for the futuristic New Years Ball were well underway with Hermione taking time out of her class schedule to make sure that this ball was one that the students of Hogwarts weren't going to forget in a long time.

Hermione did most of the planning whereas Draco just sat back and Okayed things. It really wasn't his thing to be out there planning events, he just liked to turn up and be noticed by everyone.

This year he was sure to be noticed by everyone but it was just Hermione's attention that he needed. He had a surprise for her and he knew that she was going to love it. It was killing him not to be able to tell anyone his surprise. Normally he'd tell Blaise but lately Blaise had been telling Ginny everything that Draco had said, then she would pass the information onto Hermione.

--

Draco leaned back against the couch in the Heads' common room as Hermione went over music details with several sixth year prefects.

"Okay, so you've managed to get the bands?" she asked one prefect, "great! This is gonna be so awesome, Drake, they've managed to get the hottest wizard bands around to come play at our ball!"

Draco was still off in la-la land as Hermione spoke to him but he came back down to Earth when Hermione tugged at his hand from where she was sitting on the floor.

"Drake, you there?" she asked him, smiling at his dazed face: "isn't that great?" she asked?

"Hmm, what? Oh yeah, it's awesome." Draco replied, but Hermione wasn't sure if he had heard her.

"What did I say, Draco?" she asked, looking at him as if to suss out what was on his mind.

"Um, you said... you said." He stuttered, failing to give Hermione the answer she wanted.

"Draco what's wrong with you? Why aren't you paying attention?" she asked, rubbing his hand comfortingly.

"Nothing, okay?" he said. He stood up and started to walk towards the dormitory door. "Nothing, Her-mi-o-ne." He said. "Nothing's wrong." With that, he had already opened and closed the door and he was standing in the long corridor on the second floor of Hogwarts.

'Can't she just leave me alone? Couldn't she tell I was thinking about something? Which was obviously important?' he thought to himself as he patrolled the corridors, randomly deducting points from students skipping class.

--

Hermione was left in her dormitory all alone after Draco had walked out and the prefects had left. She was so excited about the ball but Draco had kind of put a damper on it for her after his little outburst.

'I'm just over-reacting,' she thought. She couldn't see what she had done, or anyone else for that matter, to have made him upset.

She decided to write Ginny a letter to keep her updated on the progress of the futuristic New Years Ball and all of the happenings at Hogwarts. She left out the part where Draco walked out of the dormitory, and left her there, alone and confused.

She went through three pieces of parchment before she decided on the appropriate opening to her letter, and then another three, which entailed every little thing about the Ball, Hogwarts, and her life.

She would've been writing for a good hour or so, making sure her writing was beautiful and neat, and she failed to hear the Heads' dormitory dorm open.

--

'I suppose I should go back' Draco argued with his brain, 'I just left her there. She probably doesn't even know why I left. She probably thinks I'm an idiot. What if I've screwed it all?' he questioned himself.

"Shithead!" he screamed at himself, as he kicked a nearby gargoyle statue. "Shit!" he said once again, grabbing at his now sore toes.

He decided to go back to the dormitory and apoligise to Hermione for walking out on the meeting, and on her. He didn't mean to get so frustrated; he just wanted everything to be perfect.

He slowly walked back to his dormitory; his head hung in shame. He felt really bad for doing that to her. He knew that there was a possibility that she shrugged it off, but he didn't think she would have. Hermione cared about him, and she wouldn't let someone she cared about treat her like that.

He quietly opened the dormitory door in case the meeting was still going. He didn't want to disturb anyone and he knew Hermione would be sitting there with her lips pursed into a fierce frown if he did.

He saw her, sitting at the desk in their common room, with her head bent down over a piece of parchment. She had a quill in her hand. He watched her silently for a few moments before opening his mouth to speak.

"Not doing homework again, are we?" he asked her. He hoped that she could hear in his voice that he was trying to be nice to her, and to move on from what had happened earlier.

"I don't know what you're doing, or what you have been doing, but no, I am not doing homework." She replied.

'Oh, she is in a bad mood.' He thought to himself.

He walked over to where Hermione was sitting and he placed his hands on her shoulders and began to give her a massage.

"I'm sorry baby, I really am." He said, he meant it and he hoped Hermione knew him well enough to know this. "It's just been stressful with Blaise and studying for exams, doing my duties as head boy and our homework. You know what it's like, but you can handle it. I can't. Sometimes it all just gets on top of me." He wanted to throw in the part about his anxiety about proposing to her in front of the students and teachers of Hogwarts, but decided that he would much rather surprise her on the night.

Hermione put her quill down and just sat there while Draco continued to give her a massage. She didn't speak for a few moments, she just relaxed into the massage and Draco knew she understood what he had said. He could feel her body become more relaxed after he had apoligised.

"I understand Draco, but please don't take it out on me! I'm here for you, you know that. I'm always here for you, don't feel like you can't talk to me about things. You can talk to me about anything. I thought you knew that." There was a touch of sadness in her voice. She thought Draco would tell her everything, including his worries.

"I know that, but I just needed to clear my head. That's all. It's nothing major." He knelt down to kiss her on the cheek. "Babe, I gotta get to class. I'll see you later. I promise."

Draco picked up his books of the coffee table and made his way down to the dungeons for his last 2 periods of advanced potions.

Hermione said goodbye and watched him leave. She knew that she should be on her way to class, but she wasn't really in the mood for potions.

Hermione continued writing her letter and if she were questioned about skipping class, she would simply say that she got caught up with the ball preparations. It was a believable excuse; after all, they had held a meeting for it at lunchtime.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Its been ages! So sorry guys! My computer effed up on me and its taken me til now to get a new one! You know how my sister was having a baby!? She had a little boy on July 1st! My very first nephew!! His name is Michael Zachary! He's very cute and I call him "Little Man." If you want to, you can go to my myspace,  add me as a friend and you can view photos of myself and me and the baby!

Okay so here we go… it was nearly time for the futuristic ball… who am I kidding? Its time for the ball, like, now!... well soon! Christmas comes first!

--

It was Christmas Eve and Hermione and Draco had spent the day organising the Great Hall with Christmas decorations for the Hogwarts students that had decided to stay for the holidays. Surprisingly, there was a whole lot more than normal staying, and some returning the day after Christmas, so they could attend the futuristic-themed New Years Ball.

Hermione was helping some third year students decorate one of the Christmas trees in the corner of the Great Hall, coincendtly; Ron was also helping decorate that same tree.

She could feel his eyes, burning into her when she had her back turned to him. When she was facing him, she could see him trying to catch her eye. All he did was stare at her. She had the feeling that if Draco was watching, he would not be happy about this.

Draco was watching, but he wasn't mad about anything. He was pleased, satisfied in fact, that his girlfriend was ignoring her once best friend.

'Oh, how things change…' he thought to himself. He never could imagine the day where Hermione would turn her back on one of her closest friends; but she had and Draco couldn't be happier. She was his, no longer the red-haired Weasles and that made Draco happier beyond belief.

--

"Look Ronald, if you have something to say, just say it. I'm sick of you staring at me." Hermione said, with a frustrated tone.

'She's gone back to calling me Ronald…' Ron thought to himself.

"It's Christmas, Hermione. Do you remember this time last year? You were with me. Not Him. Why Him 'Mione? Why did you choose him?"

Hermione could see the tears welling up in the corner of his eyes. Even though she hated Ron, she hated seeing him like this. He was her best friend for so long, and her first proper boyfriend. She wasn't going to budge. She wasn't going to give him an answer. He didn't deserve one. Not after the way he had treated her.

"Choose him? I did not choose Him. I fell for Him. Just the way you fell for Hannah."

Ron looked down at his feet, obviously trying to hide the emotions that were appearing on his face. Students standing around the two, now began to watch enthusiastically.

"What? You regretting your decision or something, Weasley?" asked Draco, butting into the conversation. "I'm sorry, well I'm not really, but she is with me now."

Ron looked up from the floor, looked from Hermione to Draco, and then back at Hermione.

"You've changed 'Mione. I never thought you of all people would become like this." Ron then turned and started walking out of the Great Hall."

"Yeah, have a great Christmas," Draco called after him, "you stupid git," he muttered under his breath.

--

Hermione and Draco had just got back from dinner and were sitting on the couch in their common room, when there was a tapping sound against the window. It was an owl. The Weasley's owl. Hermione ran to the window excitedly. She had been waiting a while for a reply from Ginny; she was hoping this would be it.

It was.

'Hey Mione,

Things sound great! The Ball is going to be amazing… so don't stress about it!'

-Hermione smiled, Ginny knew her too well!

'I know you will be. I was hoping I'd be able to come. I know you said I could, but I think Blaise is pretty hesitant about leaving Shannae behind! Mum has offered to have her, and we said we would think about it… but it may be too early to leave her behind. She is the world to us… we miss every moment without her. It sounds so corny, but it's true!

Maybe we could bring her. I have to show her off to everyone! And I know McGonaggall is dying to see her! Well we still have a week to decide… and if we do come, there's still plenty of time for me to get a dress!

How are you and Draco going? You both looked so happy the last time I saw you.

Christmas Day tomorrow… we're going to mum's house. She's even invited the Zabini's over. She really wants to make a go of this with them. I hope they come, she really wants to impress them. She shouldn't have to. They should just accept us, but hey, what can you expect from them?

Shannae's first Christmas. It's all so exciting. Blaise and I have been buying everyone presents, and it's so much fun to shop for babies.

I hope you like what we got you and Drake.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Love always,

Ginny xx'

"Was that from Ginny?" Draco asked. He had watched Hermione's face as she read the letter. She had smiled, bit down on her lip, looked confused and then anxious. He knew she missed her best friend and would want to reply to her as soon as possible.

"Yeah, she said her and Blaise may come to the ball. They just are kinda weird about leaving Shannae behind."

"Tell them to bring her. I want to see her again, and I know you do. Besides, there's heaps of people here that want to meet her. It'll be fine.

"You think? I want them to have a good time and not be worried about her."

"Well tell them to bring her then!" Draco said… he wondered if Hermione had even listened to what he had said the first time.

"Yeah, she said that in the letter. That maybe they would bring them. Yeah, I think it's a good idea. I'll tell her to."

Hermione set out to reply to the letter she had just received. She sat down at the desk, which was a complete mess with plans for the ball and homework scattered everywhere. She looked for some clean parchment to write her reply on and has she was looking for some, she came across an envelope with her name on it. She recognised the writing, but couldn't put her finger on who it belonged to.

She opened the envelope up and tiny little silver and red love hearts fell out. There were hundreds.

"Draco, did you write this?" she asked, before opening up the letter.

"Write what, babe?" he asked.

"This," she replied, as she opened up the letter.

Her jaw dropped when she saw who it was from, and clearly knew that she had made a mistake asking if it was Draco who wrote it.

Draco peered over her shoulder at the letter and the tiny little hearts that had floated on to the desk, the floor and into Hermione's lap.

"He is so fucking dead." Draco said, with a tone that told Hermione that he wasn't joking. He bolted for the dormitory door.

"Draco, wait." She cried out, still grasping the letter while chasing after him.

Hermione caught up to him, just before he caught to the door. She jumped in front of him, which also prevented him from opening up the door and making an exit.

"You didn't even read the letter!" she cried at him once she reached him.

"I don't need to. You know his trying to cause shit. This always happens. Why can't he just let go. It shits me. He just just fuck off and leave you alone."

"Draco, calm down. Read it. He is as good as dead to me. Don't let it bother you. I'm with you, not him. Remember that."

--

Christmas is on it's way… how will Hermione and Draco's first Christmas as a couple go…? What did the letter say!?


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: Finally! I got another chapter up!

--

"I know I'm with you 'Mione, but he just shits me. I know you love me, but he was your best friend for so many years and then he was your boyfriend… and you know how they say your first love never really dies?"

"Oh trust me Drake, this love is so dead." Hermione said serious as ever to Draco, who burst out laughing at the remark.

"Drake? What? What's so funny?"

"Just the way you said it."

"How'd I say it?" Hermione queried.

"Oh trust me Drake, this love is so dead." Draco imitated.

"Well yeah I guess that does sound pretty funny."

"Hell yeah. You sounded like one of those chicks out of a teenage American film."

"Oh god, please don't say that!?" Hermione cried, insulted. She hated the way those girls sounded. They sounded like bimbos and Hermione liked to think that she was quite intelligent, and that she was not a bimbo.

--

Draco stayed up later than Hermione that night. He just kept re-reading the letter that Ron had left for Hermione.

He didn't understand why Ron was trying to get back into Hermione's life. After all he had done. After everything that had happened. After all the time that's gone past.

He also didn't know why it was bothering him so much. He trusted Hermione. It was just the Weasel he didn't trust. He knew Hermione loved him. He knew she was his. But he just kept reading the letter. Over and over again. If he was asked, he could probably recite it.

'Hermione,

I am so sorry for everything that's happened between us. I honestly never meant for things to turn out this way.

I'm not just saying this because of Ginny. I really do mean it.

I loved you, and still do.

But that means nothing now because you're with Him.

And you have made it quite clear that His the one you want.

I want you to know, I am always going to be here for you 'Mione.

I miss you,

And love you.

Love always,

Your Ron xx'

Draco, after reading it for what seemed to be the hundredth time, screwed up the letter and threw it at the wall.

"She's my girlfriend. She loves me. She doesn't want him," he repeated to himself as he made his way to the bedroom. He slipped off his clothes, and slid into his silky green boxers and climbed into bed with Hermione.

"I love you babe," he whispered into her ear. She was asleep, and he knew it, but it was still comforting to know that he could say it, and know that she feels the same way.

'I'm never gonna let her go.' He thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

--

A few hours later, Hermione heard the bed sheets ruffle, and Draco leave. She had a fair idea of where he was going, and was determined to stop it. She owed it to Ginny. She could not let Ron break his promise to his little sister, and her best friend.

Hermione jumped out of bed and put her slippers and dressing gown on, just as Draco had done only minutes earlier.

"Draco if you think that you're going to go beat the crap out of Ronald over that letter, you have another think coming! I'm not gonna let you do this to Ginny!"

Hermione left her room and walked out into the common room.

"Shit, 'Mione." Draco said, "Get back into bed. I wanted this to be a surprise."

Hermione was astounded. She knew that Draco was generous with his money, but damn… there were a lot of presents under that tree and she was pretty sure that it wasn't Santa who had put them there.

"Drake… are these all for me?" Hermione asked, wide-eyed like a child discovering their presents of a Christmas morning.

"Well not all of them, but most are… you ruined the surprise!"

"I'm sorry babe, but wow, you really like Christmas I'm guessing?"

"Well I thought I'd go 'all out' for my first Christmas…" Draco replied, smiley proudly at the presents underneath the tree that he was kneeling in front of.

"Your first? Did you say it was your first Christmas?"

"Yeah."

"What about with you family?"

"I wouldn't call me, my mother and father a family. We were far from that. I loved my mother dearly. But my father… god, my father…"

"So you never celebrated Christmas?"

"My father did. 'Lavished himself with gifts. All the time, but even more so on Christmas. My mother and I got nothing. Wait - that's not true. We may've copped a beating or two, but never any love, presents or Christmas feastings'."

"Babe, I feel for you. I really do. I know what Christmas is like for kids and I feel so bad that you missed out on all that. I'm gonna try and do my best to make tomorrow, or today, perfect for you. I really am."

"Well you know what would help make things perfect for me?" Draco smiled

"What?" Hermione smiled coyly, she knew what he was about to say. She just wanted him to say it.

"If you get your sexy little ass back to bed so I can finish your surprise, which you have already partly ruined thanks to your running imagination!"

"Okay. Not what I was expecting you to say, but okay I'll go."

Hermione went over and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek.

"Goodnight, again." She smiled.

"I know what you were thinking. You dirty girl. Goodnight." He smiled and continued going about his surprise.

--

Hermione awoke to the smell of bacon…. Eggs and bacon.

She moved around in her bed, stretching out and noticing that Draco wasn't there.

She heard her bedroom door open and saw a figure move towards the window, opening the curtains and letting the sun shine in. Hermione rolled over and took in the time that was on her alarm clock. 8:45 it read.

"Rise and shine, honey," Draco said, leaning down to kiss Hermione.

He smirked.

"Santa's been!" He said, smiling the widest smile Hermione had ever seen. She giggled.

Hermione got out of bed and put on her robe and slippers. She followed Draco out into the common room, where she saw a feast of eggs, bacon and sausages awaiting her at the table and a tree with about 50 presents underneath.

"He sure has," she replied, smiling at her boyfriend, who looked very pleased with himself and his efforts as he surveyed the room.

He led her over the table so the two could eat their breakfast. Hermione saw a scrunched up piece of paper on the floor beside one of the dining tables chairs. When Draco went to go and get the two of them a drink each, she knelt down beside it and picked the letter up. She unscrunched it and saw that it was letter from Ron.

"Honey, what are you doing down there?" Draco asked, seeing his girlfriend kneeling down on the floor.

"Oh nothing, I just thought I got something stuck on the bottom of my foot," she lied. She knew better than to bring the topic of Ron's letter back up. She threw the letter underneath the desk and sat on her chair.

When Draco walked back over and placed the drinks on the table, Hermione said,

"you know I love you more than anything, don't you babe?"

"Of course I do babe. I love you too. Now lets dig in," he said, rubbing his hands together at the thought of the food that he had sent the elves off to get.

--

Hermione was sitting on the couch, across from her Christmas tree. Apparently Draco had arranged for some surprise visitors to come over for the unwrapping of presents. Hermione was anxious to know who they were.

Finally, a knock at the dormitory door. Draco opened it, Hermione heard voices.

"Oh my god," she said to herself. She turned around to see who was entering the dormitory.

"Ginny!" she cried, running to her best friend, "I've missed you so much!"

Blaise came in followed by Draco, who was cradling Shannae in his arms. Shannae was wrapped in a pink blanket, with little blue teddy bears on it. She was sleeping.

"Hey," Draco said to Hermione, "look whos here!" he said, referring to the baby.

He knew Hermione would be puzzled as to why he had invited them over. But he didn't want them to miss it. Draco couldn't hold on any longer. He wanted his best friend and Hermione's best friend to be here, for one of the most important things he'll ever do in his life.

'Stuff the ball, I have to do it now,' he thought.


End file.
